Total Unconjugated Bilirubin Assay 0.1-40 mg/dL serum plasma vanadate oxidation method dual liquid stable clinical chemistry automation Reagent 1 Wako

Total Unconjugated Bilirubin Assay vanadate oxidation method Reagent 1 manufactured by FUJIFILM Wako Pure Chemical Corporation.

Dead and damaged erythrocytes are removed from circulation by the spleen and the haem turned into unconjugated bilirubin. Unconjugated or indirect bilirubin is insoluble in water and therefore is bound to albumin for transportation to the liver. Here the enzyme gluconyltransferase conjugates the bilirubin to glucuronic acid. This conjugated, or direct form of bilirubin is water soluble and much passes into the bile and small intestine. Some of the conjugated (direct) bilirubin remains in the large intestine and is metabolised by colonic bacteria to urobilinogen which is further metabolised to stercobiliogen and finally oxidised to stercobilin, it is these breakdown products of bilirubin that give colour to urine and faeces.

When too many cells are being destroyed or the liver is unable to remove all of the bilirubin from the blood the levels of bilirubin rise and this can result in jaundice - yellow discolouration of the skin and eyes. It is not uncommon for new born babies to exhibit neonatal bilirubineamia as they lack the intestinal bacteria that help process bilirubin, typically this will resolve itself in a couple of days. In some neonates there may be other factors involved, the new-born's blood may have been destroyed because of blood typing incompatibilities or other genetic factors that elevate bilirubin. It is important that the levels of bilirubin do not get too high in neonates as excessive bilirubin damages developing brain cells and can cause mental retardation, physical abnormalities or blindness. In older children and adults bilirubin measurements are used to assess liver function and can assist the diagnosis and disease monitoring of cirrhosis, hepatitis or gallstones.

Wako Total Bilirubin is a vanadate oxidation method that demonstrates good correlation with traditional diazo coupling and bilirubin oxidase methods and is unaffected by ascorbic acid (up to 50mg/dL) and haemoglobin (500mg/dL). The assay is suitable for use with serum samples. When the sample is mixed with the Total Bilirubin reagents, the vanadate oxidises yellow bilirubin in the sample to green biliverdin. Therefore by measuring the change in absorbance at 450nm the concentration of total bilirubin in the sample can be calculated.

The Wako Total Bilirubin assay range is 0.1 - 40 mg/dL and the ready-to-use liquid reagents are stable until the published expiration date when stored at 2-8C.

The Wako Total Bilirubin assay requires both 417-23295: Total Bilirubin Reagent 1 and 419-23495:Total Bilirubin Reagent 2 and should be used with 419-73295 Bilirubin Calibrator.