Lithium Assay Kit

Lithium, the lightest alkali metal element, is a ductile, reactive metal that occurs in nature as the Li+ cation and is found in various mineral compounds. Physiologically, lithium is present only in trace levels and is not considered to be an essential dietary nutrient. However, lithium is routinely used in medicine as a psychoactive drug. Lithium acts as a mood stabilizer and is considered to be the gold standard first-line treatment for bipolar depression and acute mania. Patients treated with lithium are less likely to require hospitalization or complete suicide than patients treated with other mood stabilizers or antipsychotics. Chemically, lithium is the simplest possible drug—as an element, it is not metabolized by the body and has zero-order renal elimination kinetics. Lithium has a narrow therapeutic/toxic ratio and requires blood level monitoring, both to ensure efficacy and decrease the risk of toxic side-effects. The target serum concentration for lithium maintenance therapy ranges from 0.6 - 1.2 mM. At serum levels ≥1.5 mM there is a sharp increase in severe adverse effects. Overt, potentially fatal side effects (such as seizures, ataxia and loss of consciousness) are observed at serum levels >2.5 mM.

Suitable for the determination of lithium concentration in biological samples such as serum and plasma. 

The Lithium Assay Kit allows for quantification of lithium levels in biological fluids such as serum and plasma. The assay uses a lithium selective bichromatic probe that undergoes an absorbance change at two distinct wavelengths upon binding to Li+ (λ1 = A540 nm, λ2 = A630 nm). The ratio of the two optical measurements is used to accurately calculate sample Li+ concentration. The kit also includes a sodium masking reagent to prevent the possibility of interference by supra-physiological levels of serum Na+ (hypernatremia). The assay is quick, is high-throughput adaptable and has a linear range from 0.5 – 10 nmole lithium per well (corresponding to 0.1 – 2 mM serum lithium).

Compatible with high-throughput handling systems.