Quantification of the C4a fragment

Human and primate plasma or serum, other biological fluids.

Sample collection is critical. Care must be taken to avoid C4a generation in the sample. For optimal plasma results K2- or K3 EDTA collection tubes are recommended. Serum and EDTA plasma specimens should be collected aseptically using standard techniques.
Samples should be tested immediately or stored on ice for no longer than 4 hours. For long-term storage samples should be frozen at -70 ºC, or below.
 

Human, primate

Monoclonal mouse-antibody, specifically binds human C4a and C4a-des Arg.

The C4a Enzyme Immunoassay Kit measures the amount of the complement fragment C4a, an activation fragment of complement protein C4 in human and primate plasma, serum and other biological fluids. Measurement of C4a in human plasma or serum provides evidence for the involvement of the classical or lectin pathway of complement.
Under normal conditions, activation of the classical or lectin complement pathways results in the cleavage of the complement protein C4 into C4a and C4b by the protease C1s. C4a is rapidly cleaved to its more stable, less active form C4a-des Arg by endogenous serum carboxypeptidase N enzyme. Thus quantitation of C4a (C4a plus C4a-des Arg) should provide a reliable measurement of classical or lectin pathway activation that has occurred in the test samples.

• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE)
• Lyme Disease