HiPer® Radial Immunodiffusion Teaching

Kit

Product Code: HTI004

Number of experiments that can be performed: 20

Duration of Experiment: 2 days

Day 1- Protocol: 1 hour
Day 2- Observations: 30 minutes

Storage Instructions:

The kit is stable for 6 months from the date of receipt

Store the 10X Assay buffer, Antiserum and Antigens at 2-8oC

Other kit contents can be stored at room temperature (15-25oC)

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 Index

Sr. No. Contents Page No.

1 Aim 3

2 Introduction 3

3 Principle 3

4 Kit Contents 4

5 Materials Required But Not Provided 4

6 Storage 4

7 Important Instructions 4

8 Procedure 5

9 Observation and Result 5

10 Interpretation 6

11 Troubleshooting Guide 7

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Aim:

To study the immunodiffusion technique by Single Radial Immunodiffusion.

Introduction:

Single Radial Immunodiffusion, also known as Mancini technique, is a quantitative immunodiffusion

technique used to detect the concentration of antigen by measuring the diameter of the precipitin ring formed
by the interaction of the antigen and the antibody at optimal concentration. In this method the antibody is
incorporated into the agarose gel whereas the antigen diffuses into it in a radial pattern.

Principle:

Single Radial Immunodiffusion is used extensively for the quantitative estimation of antigen. Here the
antigen-antibody reaction is made more sensitive by the addition of antiserum into the agarose gel and
loading the antigen sample in the well. As the antigen diffuses into the agarose radially in all directions, it’s
concentration continuously falls until the equivalence point is reached at which the antigen concentration is in
equal proportion to that of the antibody present in the agarose gel. At this point ring of precipitation
(‘precipitin ring’) is formed around the well. The diameter of the precipitin ring is proportional to the
concentration of antigen. With increasing concentration of antigen, precipitin rings with larger diameter are
formed.
The size of the precipitin rings depend on

Antigen concentration in the sample well

Antibody concentration in the agarose gel

Size of the sample well

Volume of the sample

Fig 1: In Single Radial Immunodiffusion assay the diameter of the precipitin ring increases with
increasing concentration of the antigen

Thus, by having various concentrations of a standard antigen, standard curve can be obtained from which
one can determine the amount of an antigen in an unknown sample. Thus, this is a quantitative test. If more
than one ring appears in the test, more than one antigen/antibody reaction may have occurred. This could be
due to a mixture of antigens or antibodies.

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This test is commonly used in the clinical laboratory for the determination of immunoglobulin levels in patient
samples.

Kit Contents:

The Kit can be used to perform single radial Immunodiffusion technique.

Table 1: Enlists the materials provided in this kit with their quantity and recommended storage

Sr. Quantity
Product Code Materials Provided Storage
No. 20 expts
1 MB002 Agarose 2.3 g RT
2 TKC081 10X Assay buffer 23 ml 2-8 oC
3 TKC085 Antiserum 1.6 ml 2-8oC
4 TKC086 Standard Antigen A 0.2 ml 2-8oC
5 TKC087 Standard Antigen B 0.2 ml 2-8oC
6 TKC088 Standard Antigen C 0.2 ml 2-8oC
7 TKC089 Standard Antigen D 0.2 ml 2-8oC
8 TKC090 Test Antigen 1 0.2 ml 2-8oC
9 TKC091 Test Antigen 2 0.2 ml 2-8oC
6 TKC095 Glass plate 4 Nos. RT
7 TKC083 Gel puncher 1 No. RT
8 TKC084 Template 4 Nos. RT

Materials Required But Not Provided:

Glass wares: Conical flask, Measuring cylinder, Beaker

Reagents: Distilled water, alcohol
Other requirements: Incubator (37oC), Microwave or Bunsen burner, Vortex mixer, spatula, Micropipettes,
Tips, Moist chamber (box with wet cotton)

Storage:

HiPer® Radial Immunodiffusion Teaching Kit is stable for 6 months from the date of receipt without showing
any reduction in performance. Store the Assay buffer, Antiserum, Standard and Test antigens at 2-8oC. Other
kit contents can be stored at room temperature (15-25oC).

Important Instructions:
1. Before starting the experiment the entire procedure has to be read carefully.
2. Always wear gloves while performing the experiment.
3. Preparation of 1X Assay Buffer: To prepare 10 ml of 1X Assay Buffer, add 1 ml of 10X Assay
buffer to 9 ml of sterile distilled water.
4. Preparation of 1% Agarose gel: To prepare 10 ml of Agarose gel, add 0.1 g of Agarose powder
to 10 ml of 1X Assay Buffer, boil to dissolve the agarose completely.
5. Wipe the glass plates with cotton; make it grease free using alcohol for even spreading of
agarose.
6. Cut the wells neatly without rugged margins.
7. Add the antiserum to agarose only after it cools down to 55°C as higher temperature will
inactivate the antibody.
8. Ensure that the moist chamber has enough wet cotton to keep the atmosphere humid.
* Molecular biology grade water is recommended (Product code: ML024).
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Procedure:

1. Prepare 10 ml of 1% agarose gel (as give in the important instructions). Take 6 ml of this gel
solution in a clean test tube.
2. Allow the solution to cool down to 55-60oC and add 80 µl of antiserum to 6 ml of agarose solution.
Mix well for uniform distribution of the antibody.
3. Pour agarose solution containing the antiserum on to a grease free glass plate placed on a horizontal
surface. Allow the gel to set for 30 minutes.
4. Place the glass plate on the template provided.
5. Punch wells with the help of gel puncher corresponding to the markings on the template. Use gentle
suction to avoid forming rugged wells.
6. Add 10 µl of the given standard antigen and test antigen samples to the wells.
A. Standard Antigen A (3.75 mg/ml)
B. Standard Antigen B (7.5 mg/ml)
C. Standard Antigen C (15 mg/ml)
D. Standard Antigen D (30 mg/ml)
E. Test Antigen 1
F. Test Antigen 2

E F

A B

C D

Fig 2: Template for pattern of wells for loading of standard and test antigens

7. Incubate the glass plate in a moist chamber overnight at 37oC.

Observation and Result:

Observe for precipitin rings surrounding the antigen wells (Fig 3). Mark the edges of the precipitin rings and
measure the diameter of the rings as shown in table 2.

Fig 3: Precipitin rings observed in Single Radial Immunodiffusion

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 Table 2: Results of Single Radial Immunodiffusion

Standard Antigen Concentration Ring Diameter

Sample
(in mg/ml) (in mm)
A 3.75
B 7.5
C 15.0
D 30.0
E Test Antigen 1
F Test Antigen 2

Plot a graph of the diameter of the precipitin ring (on Y-axis) versus the concentration of antigen (on X-axis)
on a standard graph sheet. Determine the concentration of the unknown antigen from the graph by finding the
concentration against the ring diameter.

Standard Curve
Standard Curve of
forRID
RIDAssay
Assay

20
18
Diam eter of precipitin ring (m m )

16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1 10 30 100
Antigen Concentration (mg/ml)

Interpretation:

The diameter of the precipitin ring depends upon the concentration of antigens loaded in the wells. By plotting
the graph of concentration of antigens versus diameter of the corresponding precipitin ring one can calculate
the concentration of any test antigen.

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Troubleshooting Guide:

Sr.No Problem Probable Cause Solution

Sample should be loaded directly into
Inadequate filling of the wells
the well without spilling to the sides

Ensure that the moist chamber has

Drying of the agarose gel during
No precipitin ring enough moist cotton to avoid drying of
1 incubation
observed the gel
Antiserum should be added to the
Inactivation of antiserum agarose gel only after the temperature
reaches to 55-60oC

Antiserum should be added to the

Inactivation of antiserum agarose gel only after the temperature
reaches to 55-60oC
Blur precipitin ring
2
observed Place the glass plate on a flat surface
Uneven pouring of gel while pouring the gel. Do not move the
plate once the gel is poured

Technical Assistance:

At HiMedia we pride ourselves on the quality and availability of our technical support. For any kind of
technical assistance mail at mb@himedialabs.com

PIHTI004_O/0514 HTI004-04