Quantitative analysis of extracellular-superoxide dismutase in serum and urine by ELISA with monoclonal antibody.

The superoxide anion has been implicated in a wide range of diseases. The major protector against superoxide anion in the extracellular space is extracellular-superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD). EC-SOD is the major SOD isozyme in plasma and forms an equilibrium between the plasma phase and heparan sulfate proteoglycan on the surface of the endothelium. An ELISA method for the measurement of human EC-SOD with monoclonal antibody was established. The proposed method had a high sensitivity (assay range, 0.05-50 ng/ml), good recovery (recovery percentage, 96.9 +/- 5.6%) and reproducibility (within-day assay, C.V. = 8.6-10.2%; between-day assay, C.V. = 6.5-11.7%). EC-SOD levels in sera from healthy persons are clearly divided into two groups: a lower group (Group I, below 120 ng/ml, n = 146) and higher group (Group II, above 400 ng/ml, n = 10). The EC-SOD in Group I were almost normally distributed and the mean level was 55.8 +/- 18.8 ng/ml. The serum EC-SOD level assayed by ELISA correlated well with serum SOD activity. The serum EC-SOD in Group I is heterogeneous with regard to affinity for heparin-Sepharose and could be separated into three approximately equal fractions, whereas the EC-SOD in Group II is mainly one fraction with a high affinity for the column. The apparent molecular weight and carbohydrate structure of serum EC-SOD in Group II are identical to those in Group I. The high EC-SOD level in sera from some individuals may reflect the excessive stimulation of EC-SOD synthesis in vivo or the growth of selected cells in vivo, because EC-SOD is known to be expressed by a few cell types in vivo as a high-heparin-affinity subtype.