Homogeneous enzyme immunoassay of estradiol using estradiol-3-O-carboxymethyl ether as hapten.

A homogeneous enzyme immunoassay for estradiol estimation has been developed, which can be extended to other steroids. A new procedure for the preparation of estradiol -3-0- carboxymethyl ether by a simple one step reaction in high yield (90%) has been described. This hapten has been used for raising highly specific anti-estradiol antibody in rabbits and for preparation of enzyme conjugates. Two different enzymes, lysozyme and glucose -6- phosphate dehydrogenase have been studied for their suitability as enzyme labels. Our results indicate that lysozyme-conjugate meets the essential requirement for a practical enzyme immunoassay. The advantage of the present nonradioactive procedure is the overall simplicity, low cost and high stability of the reagents.