Clinical Chemistry, Vol 37, 403-410, Copyright © 1991 by American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Determination of cyclosporine by a competitive binding assay with cyclophilin

G Steiner, B Kullinger, G Mayer, Y Jie, H Leibl, J Kovarik and W Woloszczuk
Second Medizinische Universitatsklinik, University of Vienna, Austria.

A competitive protein-binding assay for cyclosporine based on use of the intracellular cyclosporine-binding protein cyclophilin (CYP) was used to measure cyclosporin A (CsA) and its bioactive metabolites in whole blood. CYP from cytoplasmic extracts or erythrocyte lysates was applied in the binding assay with use of [3H]CsA as tracer and charcoal adsorption for separating bound from free tracer. Binding affinities of various CsA analogs and metabolites correlated well with their reported in vitro immunosuppressive activities. The assay detected as little CsA as 50 micrograms/L (1 g = 0.832 mmol of CsA), analytical recovery was greater than 80%, and CVs were less than 8% for intra-assay and less than 11% for interassay precision in the range of 150-1000 micrograms/L. We used this assay to measure CsA concentrations in blood and compared the results with those measured by HPLC or by CsA-specific (monoclonal) and CsA-nonspecific (polyclonal) radioimmunoassays. Binding assay results were, in nearly all cases, less than those measured by the nonspecific RIA and frequently greater than 20% above the values determined by the CsA-specific assays. Individual patients had pronounced differences in the relative proportions of CsA, CYP- binding (bioactive) metabolites, and cross-reacting CsA metabolites. Because the presence of bioactive metabolites may considerably contribute to the immunosuppressive activity of CsA, we consider the binding assay clinically useful for measuring CsA in biological fluids.