Different labeling strategies for enzymatic assays and immunoassays are reviewed. Techniques which make use of direct detection of a label, e.g. radioimmunoassays, are discussed, as are techniques in which the label is associated with inherent signal amplification. Examples of the latter, e.g. enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays or nanoparticle-label based assays, are presented. Coupling of the bioassays to chromatographic separations adds selectivity but renders the assays more difficult to apply. The advantages and drawbacks of the different analytical principles, including future perspectives, are discussed and compared. Selected applications from clinical, pharmaceutical, and environmental analysis are provided as examples.

A liquid chromatography(LC)/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MS) method for the quantitative determination of total homocysteine and methylmalonic acid and the monitoring of methionine, homocystine and succinic acid in plasma has been developed. The analytes are determined under the presence of the deuterated internal standards methylmalonic acid-d (3) and homocystine-d (8). Although methylmalonic acid can be determined directly, a reduction step has to be carried out to ensure the measurement of total homocysteine. Ultrafiltration was applied afterwards to deproteinize the samples prior to LC/MS injection. LC/MS analysis is carried out isocratically using a mobile phase consisting of 5% methanol and 95% of a 0.06 M formic acid solution on a reversed-phase C18 column at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The MS measurement was separated into several periods: homocysteine, homocystine and methionine were determined in the positive-ion mode, whereas the determinations of methylmalonic acid and succinic acid were carried out in the negative-ion mode. The intraday coefficients of variation (CVs) were 2.9% or less and 3.2% or less for homocysteine and methylmalonic acid, respectively. Interday CVs ranged from 3.8 to 5.9% for homocysteine and from 3.5 to 6.3% for methylmalonic acid. Analyte concentrations could reliably be determined, also far below the reference values. Furthermore, the linearity was determined and a correlation study with respect to the existing homocysteine and methylmalonic acid methods at Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital was carried out.

This method enables a quantitative analysis of immunosuppressants in DBS independent from the Ht.

Mass spectrometric evidence was obtained to confirm that the main reaction product of the horseradish peroxidase (POD)-catalyzed oxidation of o-phenylenediamine (OPD) by hydrogen peroxide is 2,3-diaminophenazine. Although this reaction is one of the most widespread detection schemes in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), the literature data on the identity of the reaction product(s) have been strongly contradictory throughout the last few decades. Liquid chromatography with UV/Vis and mass spectrometric detection as well as exact mass measurements after LC fraction collection have led to the unambiguous identification of 2,3-diaminophenazine as main reaction product. 2,2'-Diaminoazobenzene, which is frequently described in other publications to be the major reaction product, was not detected at all.

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