Radioimmunoassay of blood bradykinin: purification of blood extracts to prevent cross-reaction with endogenous kininogen.

Alcoholic extracts of blood collected for measurement of circulating bradykinin were analysed for co-extracted kininogen which would artificially elevate measured bradykinin levels. The blood extract contained a glycoprotein with identical chromatographic properties to kininogen. Bradykinin immunoreactivity in the extract eluted as a single peak from an immunoaffinity column of anti-bradykinin IgG bound to Sepharose identically to both bradykinin and kininogen showing immunoidentity of these substances. Affinity chromatography on Concanavalin A-Sepharose or ion-exchange chromatography on CM-Sephadex C25 separated bradykinin and the glycoprotein which again eluted identically to kininogen. The decrease in measured values of blood bradykinin after purification of the extract on CM-Sephadex C25 was a similar amount to that calculated as cross-reactivity with the amount of co-extracted kininogen. Hence radioimmunoassay of bradykinin in ethanolic extracts of blood is inaccurate owing to the presence of co-extracted kininogen, and additional purification steps such as chromatography on CM-Sephadex C25 are mandatory for accurate assay by ligand binding techniques.