QuantiChrom™ Zinc Assay Kit

Protocol SDS

Application

• For quantitative determination of zinc ion Zn²⁺ and evaluation of drug effects on zinc metabolism.

Key Features

• Sensitive and accurate. Uses 50 µL samples. Linear detection range 0.12 µM (0.78 µg/dL) to 10 µM (65 µg/dL) zinc in 96-well assay format.
• Simple and high-throughput. The procedure involves the addition of a single working reagent and incubation for 30 min. Can be readily automated as a high-throughput assay for thousands of samples per day.
• Improved reagent stability and versatility. The optimized formulation has greatly enhanced the reagent and signal stability. Cuvette or 96-well plate assay formats are possible.
• Low interference in biological samples. No pretreatments are needed.

Method

• OD425nm

Samples

• Serum, plasma, urine, saliva, food, beverage, and environment

Species

• All

Procedure

• 30 min

Size

• 250 tests

Detection Limit

• 0.78 µg/dL (0.12 µM)

Shelf Life

• 6 months

More Details

Zinc is an essential trace element and plays many key roles in metabolism. It is required for the activity of more than 300 enzymes, the structure of many proteins, and the control of genetic expression. Zinc status affects basic processes of cell division, growth, differentiation, development, performance, and aging through its requirement for synthesis and repair of DNA, RNA, and protein. The common causes of zinc deficiency are low dietary intakes and low bioavailability. Clinical signs of zinc deficiency include acrodermatitis, low immunity, diarrhea, poor healing, stunting, hypogonadism, fetal growth failure, teratology, and abortion. Zinc deficiency has now been recognized to be associated with many diseases such as malabsorption syndrome, chronic liver disease, chronic renal disease, sickle cell disease, diabetes, malignancy, and other chronic illnesses. Simple, direct, and automation-ready procedures for measuring zinc concentration in biological samples are highly desirable in Research and Drug Discovery. BioAssay Systems zinc assay kit is designed to measure zinc directly in biological samples without any pretreatment. The present method utilizes a chromogen that forms a colored complex specifically with zinc. The intensity of the color, measured at 425 nm, is directly proportional to the zinc concentration in the sample.

Our plate reader does not have a filter for 425 nm, can I use 405nm or 450 nm instead?

No, the zinc assay must be measured between 419 nm and 426 nm. Outside of this narrow range the assay will not work.

How many standards (to generate a graph) should I include in the assay?

Because this assay is not linear from 0.12 to 10 µM, please follow the protocol and run standard curve for each assay.

Do I need to dilute urine samples for this assay?

No, the zinc concentration in urine is sufficiently low.

Hendricks, MR et al (2021). Extracellular vesicles promote transkingdom nutrient transfer during viral-bacterial co-infection. Cell Reports, 34(4), 108672. Assay: Zinc in human extracelllular vesicles.

Hamed, AMM et al (2019). Serum zinc levels in hospitalized children with pneumonia: A hospital-based case-control study. Egyptian Journal of Bronchology, 13(5), 730-737 Assay: Zinc in human serum.

Bergeron, N., & Guay, F. (2019). Impact of zinc and arginine on antioxidant status of weanling piglets raised under commercial conditions. Animal Nutrition. Assay: Zinc in pig plasma.

Boudreault, F., Pinilla-Vera, M., Englert, J. A., Kho, A. T., Isabelle, C., Arciniegas, A. J. & Choi, K. M. (2017). Zinc deficiency primes the lung for ventilator-induced injury. JCI insight, 2(11). Assay: Zinc in mice blood.

Dambal, S., Baumann, B., McCray, T., Williams, L., Richards, Z., Deaton, R. & Nonn, L. (2017). The miR-183 family cluster alters zinc homeostasis in benign prostate cells, organoids and prostate cancer xenografts. Scientific reports, 7(1), 7704. Assay: Zinc in rat tumor cells.

White, J. R., Gong, H., Pope, B., Schlievert, P., & McElroy, S. J. (2017). Paneth-cell-disruption-induced necrotizing enterocolitis in mice requires live bacteria and occurs independently of TLR4 signaling. Disease models & mechanisms, 10(6), 727-736. Assay: Zinc in mice blood.

Xu, J et al (2014). Nanosized zinc oxide particles do not promote DHPN-induced lung carcinogenesis but cause reversible epithelial hyperplasia of terminal bronchioles. Archives of toxicology 88(1): 65-75. Assay: Zinc in rat lung tissue.

Kelly, E., Mathew, J., Kohler, J. E., Blass, A. L., & Soybel, D. I. (2012). Hemorrhagic Shock and Surgical Stress Alter Distribution of Labile Zinc within High and Low Molecular Weight Plasma Fractions. Shock (Augusta, Ga.) 38(3): 314. Assay: Zinc in rat plasma.

Leung, KW, et al. (2012). ZIP2 and ZIP4 Mediate Age-Related Zinc Fluxes Across the Retinal Pigment Epithelium. J Mol Neurosci. 46(1): 122-137. Assay: Zinc in human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Gunasekara, P, et al. (2011). Effects of zinc and multimineral vitamin supplementation on glycemic and lipid control in adult diabetes. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes 4:53-60. Assay: Zinc in human serum, urine.

Kelly, E, et al. (2011). Redistribution of labile plasma zinc during mild surgical stress in the rat. Transl Res 157(3):139-49. Assay: Zinc in rat plasma.

Leung, KW et al (2011). ZIP2 and ZIP4 Mediate Age-Related Zinc Fluxes Across the Retinal Pigment Epithelium. J Mol Neurosci . Assay: Zinc in human Retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Mihelich, BL et al (2011). miR-183-96-182 cluster is overexpressed in prostate tissue and regulates zinc homeostasis in prostate cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry 286(52): 44503-44511. Assay: Zinc in human prostate cells.

Morgan, C. I., Ledford, J. R., Zhou, P., & Page, K. (2011). Zinc supplementation alters airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness to a common allergen. J. Inflamm. (Lond.) 8: 36. Assay: Zinc in mouse serum.

Padiglia, A., et al. (2010). Sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil is associated with gustin (carbonic anhydrase VI) gene polymorphism, salivary zinc, and body mass index in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 92(3):539-45. Assay: Zinc in human saliva.

Knoell, DL, et al. (2009). Zinc deficiency increases organ damage and mortality in a murine model of polymicrobial sepsis. Crit Care Med 37(4):1380-8. Assay: Zinc in mouse serum.

To find more recent publications, please click here.

If you or your labs do not have the equipment or scientists necessary to run this assay, BioAssay Systems can perform the service for you.

– Fast turnaround
– Quality data
– Low cost

Please email or call 1-510-782-9988 x 2 to discuss your projects.