Competition in the market for chemiluminescence reagents: Who dominates the rise and fall between acridine ester and luminol?

Today, with the rapid development of chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) technology, domestic enterprises are gradually narrowing the gap with international advanced levels. As a core component, the selection of chemiluminescence reagents directly affects the accuracy and efficiency of detection. The current market mainly revolves around the competition between acridine esters and luminol reagents, each with its own characteristics, jointly promoting the progress of diagnostic technology. This article will explore who can occupy the core position of the industry from multiple perspectives such as performance, cost, and application.

Luminol: The Application Basis of Classical Reagents

Luminol, isoluminol, and their derivatives, as the earliest chemiluminescent substances put into use, laid an important foundation in the field of CLIA. This type of reagent usually requires a catalyst peroxidase (POD) and an enhancer to trigger the luminescent reaction. However, this mechanism of relying on external components may lead to enhanced background luminescence, thereby raising the measurement background, which to some extent limits the improvement of detection sensitivity and the expansion of application scope. Despite these limitations, luminol still holds a place in some routine tests due to its mature production process and lower cost. Its price is usually measured in grams or kilograms, ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan per gram. It has outstanding economy and is suitable for scenarios with low sensitivity requirements.

luminol powder

Acridine ester: a technological advantage representing high performance

Compared with luminol, acridine ester reagents exhibit superior performance in chemiluminescence immunoassay. Its luminescent system is simple and efficient, and does not require the introduction of catalysts. It can rapidly release photons under alkaline hydrogen peroxide excitation, and the luminescent process is usually completed within 2 seconds, with high luminescence efficiency and low background. In addition, the labeling process of acridine ester is simple and suitable for the detection of various biomolecules such as proteins, peptides, antibodies, and nucleic acids. By collecting photons with a wavelength of approximately 430 nanometers using a standard photometer, the concentration of the target substance can be accurately quantified. Although early acridine esters such as AE-NHS had issues with insufficient thermal stability, the subsequent development of derivatives such as DMAE-NHS has significantly improved stability and luminescence performance, further consolidating its technological position.

Performance Comparison: Comparison of Sensitivity and Stability

In direct comparison, the sensitivity of acridine ester is significantly higher than that of luminol, which makes it more advantageous in high-end detection. The luminol system requires catalysts and enhancers, with significant background interference, making it difficult to achieve precise measurement of ultra-low concentration substances. Acrylamide ester, with its fast and high-intensity luminescent properties, effectively reduces background noise and provides the possibility for high-precision applications. However, the price of acridine ester is much higher than that of luminol, usually priced in milligrams or grams, with each milligram costing several hundred yuan. This cost difference makes it not necessarily the first choice for testing with lower demand. Therefore, the balance between performance and economy has become a key factor for users to choose.

Application prospects: Market differentiation driven by demand

With the increasing demand for detection in medical diagnosis and biological research, the application of chemiluminescence reagents is showing a trend of differentiation. In highly sensitive and responsive scenarios, such as tumor biomarker detection or infectious disease screening, acridine ester reagents have gradually become mainstream due to their excellent performance. Its stable luminescence process and low background characteristics help improve the accuracy and reliability of diagnosis. On the contrary, in routine testing with general sensitivity requirements, luminol remains widely used due to its cost advantage and mature technology. In the future, reagent selection will focus more on practical needs rather than a single performance indicator, which will prompt the industry to seek the best combination between innovation and practicality.

In summary, acridine ester and luminol each play important roles in the field of chemiluminescence immunoassay. Acridine esters are known for their high sensitivity, low background, and rapid reaction, representing the forefront of technological development; Luminol serves basic applications with economy and stability. Against the backdrop of continuous technological advancement in China, the two may coexist for a long time, jointly driving chemiluminescence reagents towards a new stage of higher efficiency and precision.

product packaging

Hubei Xindesheng Material Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in the production of chemiluminescence reagents such as luminol and acridine ester. With advanced production equipment and rich production experience, our professional technical team ensures product quality and can provide excellent after-sales service and customized services. If you have any related procurement needs in the near future, please click on the official website for more details or contact me directly!