Serum-manganese-superoxide dismutase: normal values and increased levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction and several malignant diseases determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a monoclonal antibody.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for human manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), using a specific monoclonal antibody raised against the purified enzyme. The Mn-SOD molecule comprises four identical sub-units and this permitted the development of a symmetrical assay, using the same monoclonal antibody as both capture and detector. The assay offers a specific, sensitive and convenient means of measuring immunoreactive Mn-SOD in human sera. Under optimum conditions, the sensitivity of the assay permits the detection of 2-200 ng of purified Mn-SOD from human liver. The mean serum Mn-SOD levels of normal healthy males and females were 99.8 +/- 24.8 (mean +/- SD) and 88.8 +/- 20.8 (mean +/- SD), respectively. A high level of the enzyme was found in the sera of patients with acute myocardial infarction as well as malignant diseases such as acute myeloid leukemia, primary hepatoma and gastric cancer. This is the first report of an ELISA using a monoclonal antibody specific for a distinct epitope of Mn-SOD.