During inflammation, arginine amino acids may be converted to citrulline residues in a variety of proteins. This conversion may lead to a change in the conformational structure of the protein and may be recognized as a foreign antigen by the host’s immune system. Antibodies that detect these self-antigens are called anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and are highly present in those with rheumatoid arthritis. Medizym® Anti-CCP Ref is a quantitative ELISA for the sensitive determination of IgG antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCP) in human serum.
- Microtiter Plate. 12 breakable strips, each with 8 wells (96 wells total) coated with synthetic peptides containing citrulline residues. The plate is packaged in a vacuum sealed bag with desiccant.
- Concentrated Wash Buffer. 100 mL of 10x concentrated wash buffer
- Anti-human IgG HRP. 15 mL of sheep anti-human IgG conjugated to horseradish peroxidase. Ready to use
- 15 mL of ready to use TMB
- Stop Solution. 15 mL of 0.25 M sulfuric acid. Ready to use
- Sample Diluent. 100 mL of ready to use sample diluent buffer
- Negative Control. 1 mL of negative control material.
- Positive Control. 1 mL of positive control material with defined concentration
- 5 vials, each with 1 mL of different known concentrations of ant-CCP antibodies.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is most often diagnosed by the measurement of rheumatoid factors (RF). The rheumatoid factor is an antibody directed against the Fc-region of IgG. It appears mainly as IgM antibody but also as IgA or IgG subgroup.
Rheumatoid factors are present in sera of 70 – 80 % of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. But it is not specific for RA since it will also be found in healthy persons. The incidence depends on the age: for young people it is 1 – 4 %, for older persons it may reach up to 25 %.
The advantage of CCP antibodies is a higher sensitivity and specificity for rheumatoid arthritis in comparison to the rheumatoid factors alone. Anti-CCP is often found at a very early state of the disease.