This review is devoted to the analytical application of carbohydrate-binding proteins called lectins. The nature of lectins and the regularities of their specificity with respect to simple sugars and complex carbohydrate-containing biomolecules are discussed. The main areas of the modern analytical application of lectins are described. Lectin-affinity chromatography, histo- and cytochemical approaches, lectin blotting, microarray, and biosensor technologies as well as microplate analysis are considered in detail. Data on the use of lectins for the detection of cells and microorganisms as well as the study of protein glycosylation are summarized. The large potential of lectins as components of analytical systems used for the identification of glycans and the characteristics of their structure are substantiated.

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Fluorescence polarization holds considerable promise for bioanalytical systems because it allows the detection of selective interactions in real time and a choice of fluorophores, the detection of which the biosample matrix does not influence; thus, their choice simplifies and accelerates the preparation of samples. For decades, these possibilities were successfully applied in fluorescence polarization immunoassays based on differences in the polarization of fluorophore emissions excited by plane-polarized light, whether in a free state or as part of an immune complex. However, the results of recent studies demonstrate the efficacy of fluorescence polarization as a detected signal in many bioanalytical methods. This review summarizes and comparatively characterizes these developments. It considers the integration of fluorescence polarization with the use of alternative receptor molecules and various fluorophores; different schemes for the formation of detectable complexes and the amplification of the signals generated by them. New techniques for the detection of metal ions, nucleic acids, and enzymatic reactions based on fluorescence polarization are also considered.

The aim of the present study was to produce monoclonal anti-fullerene C(60) antibodies and to develop the enzyme immunoassay for the detection in the first use of free fullerene C(60) both in solutions and in multicomponent biological probes. The immunization of mice with the conjugate of fullerene C(60) carboxylic derivative with thyroglobulin synthesized by carbodiimide activation led to the production of eight clones of anti-fullerene antibodies. The specificity of the antibody-fullerene binding was confirmed. Indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the determination of water-soluble protein-conjugated fullerene, the fullerene aminocaproic acid, fullerenol and for pristine fullerene in solution. To solubilize extremely hydrophobic free fullerene C(60) a specially selected water-organic mixture compatible with immunoassay was proposed. The detection limit of free fullerene C(60) in solution was 2 μg L(-1). Fullerene C(60) was also detected by ELISA in organ homogenates of rats intraperitoneally or intragastrically administered with fullerene. To reduce the influence of biomatrices on the assay results a technique was developed for the biological sample pretreatment by the extraction of C(60) from bioprobe by toluene followed by the evaporation of toluene and dissolution of the fullerene-containing extract in the selected water-organic media. The ELISA procedure in the first use allowed the detection of fullerene C(60) in different tissues.

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