A quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for quantification of secretory immunoglobulin A in serum

ABSTRACT

Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in serum is possibly the best index of SIgA presence in mucosal secretions in digestive tract and the mirror of its immunologic barrier against many pathogenic aggressions. The measurement of salivary SigA alone may be affected by total salivary secretion and its final concentration in the gland lumen is probably not useful as an appropriate index of mucosal secretions in the digestive tract. The usefulness of the determination of SigA against various epitopes in serum from patients with various autoimmune disease has been demonstrated. The aetiology of many digestive related disorders could be triggered by an alteration of mucose SIgA barrier. The determination of Igs is important for different liver diseases and specifically the SIgA in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. We developed an easy and efficient immunologic assay to quantify SIgA in serum samples.

KEYWORDS:

• secretory immunoglobulin A
• serum levels
• immunologic method

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Alejandro Sanjuan, the professional translator who collaborated in the draft and correction of the article.