Determination of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) in experimental animals using monoclonal antibodies against TIMP-2-specific oligopeptides.

We have developed a one-step sandwich enzyme immunoassay (EIA) using monoclonal antibodies against oligopeptides of the human tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) (Fujimoto et al. (1993) Clin. Chim. Acta 220, 31). The present studies further demonstrated that the antibodies cross-react with TIMP-2 species of experimental animals including mouse, rat, guinea pig and rabbit. The detection of the TIMP-2 species in our EIA system was verified using rat TIMP-2 and the EIA was subsequently used to measure the animal TIMP-2 in the sera. Using human TIMP-2 as a standard, TIMP-2 levels in the sera of mouse, rat, guinea pig and rabbit were approximately 80, 200, 270 and 25 ng/ml, respectively.