Immunoenzyme method of determining trace amounts of proinsulin in recombinant human insulin

: An enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) for the detection of human proinsulin has been developed based on the interaction of the absorbed proinsulin with the antiserum against the synthetic proinsulin C-peptide. In the presence of high concentrations of insulin, the sensitivity of the assay slightly decreases due to the competitive adsorption of insulin onto the polystyrene carrier with the binding constant 800-1000 times less than that of proinsulin. A method is proposed for the interpretation of ELISA data based on analysis of a weighed dry insulin sample, which enables the detection of a 0.02-0.1% admixture of proinsulin in the chromatographically purified recombinant human insulin.