Clinical applications of luminescent assays for enzymes and enzyme labels.

A wide range of luminescent assays for enzyme labels has been developed. The clinical application of luminescent assays for horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, xanthine oxidase, beta-D galactosidase, and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase is discussed. The enzyme luminescent methods provide improved sensitivity compared with colorimetric and fluorimetric assays. A new reagent, dioxetane phosphate, has provided a simple and extremely sensitive assay for alkaline phosphatase. The available instruments and new photographic detection techniques for luminescent assays are briefly discussed.