The determination of dimethindene in human serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (EIA)

Dimethindene maleate is a potent histamine H1 antagonist and is therapeutically effective following oral daily doses of 3-6 mg. A sensitive GLC method is available for measuring blood serum and urine levels at concentrations of about 10 ng ml super(-1) (1,2). Recently, a fast sensitive HPLC method using solid-phase extraction was developed with a detection limit of 2 ng ml super(-1) (3). Both methods can be used for the determination of dimethindene in urine. However, they are not sensitive enough for blood serum assay in pharmacokinetic studies. This paper reports the development and validation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (EIA) for measuring dimethindene at concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 20 ng ml super(-1) in human serum.