Identification of Proteinaceous Binders in Ancient Tripitaka by the Use of an Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay

Abstract

Proteinaceous materials, such as ovabumin and collagen, were commonly used as binding media, and as adhesives and protective coatings. However, the identification of ancient proteinaceous binders is a great challenge for archaeologists, due to their limited sample size, complex combinations of various ingredients and reduced availability of the binder during the process of protein degradation. In this paper, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) provides to be a particularly promising method for the detection of proteinaceous binding materials in ancient relics. The present work focused on the specific identification of proteins in archaeological binders, which was brushed on the Tripitaka. Two samples, the adhesion area (S1) and the ink area (S2), were tested by ELISA. The results showed that both S1 and S2 reacted positively when treated with an anti-collagen-I antibody. It proved the existence of proteinaceous binders in Ancient Tripitaka, and the percentage of collagen in S1 and S2 was 61.44 and 15.4%, respectively. Compared with other conventional techniques, ELISA has advantages of high specificity, sensitivity, rapidity and low cost, making it especially suitable for the protein detection in the archaeological field.

Characterization of a Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sutra excavated in Lu’an, China

“…Technical studies of other sutras have been reported for the purpose of identification and conservation. SEM-EDS, XRD, Raman Spectroscopy and XRF were applied to the identification of pigment and paper fiber in ancient tripitaka, while enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay combined with FTIR was used in characterization of proteinaceous binders and organic coating of tripitaka [7,8]. Accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon was applied in the dating of ancient Japanese sutras with the results corresponding to the historical ages recorded on the artefacts [9,10].…”

Optimization of protein extraction and ELISA immunodetection from protein-based paint models with mesoporous silica nanoparticles and MCM41

“…Most of the data obtained by these methods are targeted towards the identification of pigments, support and varnish or previous restorations, but little information is available about the binders; and if present, interpreting the source of protein origin is not easy [7]. Therefore, in recent times, immunodetection has been employed for characterization of protein binders [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Immunoassays such as ELISA with specific antibodies work with high accuracy in identifying the biological origin of proteins [5,6,9].…”

“…In Fig. 4, it is possible to see the difference in protein recovered in each extraction (first, second and third) from the paint models of ovalbumin (2,7,12,22), collagen (5,32), and casein (8,42) with and without the presence of nanoparticles for each of the four techniques.…”

Paper fragments from the Tibetan Samye Monastery: Clues for an unusual sizing recipe implying wheat starch and milk in early Tibetan papermaking

“…Methods such as microscopic fiber analysis [1], FTIR [16], XRF [14,15,17], immunological techniques [18] have been applied for Tibetan fragments scientific examinations. Recently, the capacity of a chromatographic based method for the material study of East Asian handmade papers has been explored [19,20] as well as a method of higher selectivity (comprehensive gas chromatography GCxGC) with a more quick and reliable identification procedure [21][22][23].…”

“…Currently, there are few reports on the study of ancient fragments collected in the Tibetan regions or presented in different museums [16][17][18]24] while the dedication of scholars for the study of ancient Tibetan manuscripts has greatly improved our knowledge for history and development of hand papermaking in ancient Tibet [25]. Nevertheless, there are still undiscovered points about its rich connotation and culture that deserve to be investigated.…”