title: The iDigoxin Assay is More Sensitive than LOCI Digoxin Assay for Rapid Detection of Convallatoxin, the Active Cardiac Glycoside of Lily of The Valley.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lily of the valley is a poisonous plant due to the presence of the cardiac glycoside convallatoxin. We compared two immunoassays (LOCI digoxin assay and iDigoxin assay) for rapid detection of convallatoxin if present in human serum.
  
  
  METHODS
  Aliquots of a drug free serum pool and a digoxin serum pool were supplemented with microliter amounts of lily of the valley extract or nanogram to microgram quantities of convallatoxin, followed by measurement of apparent digoxin concentrations using the LOCI and iDigxoin assays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Apparent digoxin concentrations were observed when aliquots of a drug free serum pool were supplemented with convallatoxin or lily of the valley extract using both assays but apparent digoxin concentrations were significantly higher using the iDigoxin assay. In addition, the interference of convallatoxin in serum digoxin measurement was also significantly higher using iDigxoin assay compared to the LOCI digoxin assay.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The iDigxoin assay is more sensitive in detecting convallatoxin in human serum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston TX, USA.
authors.forename: Jamie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Everett
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston TX, USA.
authors.forename: Yumi A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Baylor St Luke's Medical Center (TMC), CHI St Luke's Health System, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston TX, USA.
authors.forename: Amer
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wahed
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston TX, USA Dasgupta@uth.tmc.edu.
authors.forename: Amitava
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay / Q000379:methods*; D002301:Cardiac Glycosides / Q000097:blood*; D004077:Digoxin / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D027762:Lilium / Q000737:chemistry*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013328:Strophanthins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D002301:Cardiac Glycosides; D013328:Strophanthins; D004077:Digoxin; C000505:convallatoxin
keywords: Convallatoxin; LOCI Digoxin assay; Lily of the valley; iDigoxin assay