Introduction The serine protease inhibitor Antithrombin III (AT III), the most important natural inhibitor of thrombin activity, has been shown to exert marked anti-inflammatory properties and proven to be efficacious in experimental models of sepsis, septic shock, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (1). It has often been recommended for the therapy of septic patients as it provides anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory actions (2). AT III deficiency is a rare hereditary disease that predisposes to thromboembolic complications (3). AT III levels are positively correlated with plasma total cholesterol levels, plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, plasma triglycerides, and D-dimer levels (4).
Principle of the Assay The AssayMax Mouse AT III ELISA kit is designed for detection of mouse AT III in plasma, serum, urine, and cell culture supernatants. This assay employs a quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique, which measures AT III in less than 4 hours. A polyclonal antibody specific for mouse AT III has been pre-coated onto a microplate. Mouse AT III in standards and samples is sandwiched by the immobilized antibody and biotinylated polyclonal antibody specific for mouse AT III, which is recognized by a streptavidin-peroxidase conjugate. All unbound material is then washed away and a peroxidase enzyme substrate is added. The color development is stopped and the intensity of the color is measured.