In clinical terms, a potentiator is a

reagent In chemistry, a reagent ( ) or analytical reagent is a substance or compound added to a system to cause a chemical reaction, or test if one occurs. The terms ''reactant'' and ''reagent'' are often used interchangeably, but reactant specifies a ...

that enhances sensitization of an

antigen In immunology, an antigen (Ag) is a molecule, moiety, foreign particulate matter, or an allergen, such as pollen, that can bind to a specific antibody or T-cell receptor. The presence of antigens in the body may trigger an immune response. ...

. Potentiators are used in the clinical laboratory for performing

blood bank A blood bank is a center where blood gathered as a result of blood donation is stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a department of a hospital usually within a clinical pathology labora ...

ing procedures that require enhancement of

agglutination In linguistics, agglutination is a morphology (linguistics), morphological process in which words are formed by stringing together morphemes (word parts), each of which corresponds to a single Syntax, syntactic feature. Languages that use agglu ...

to detect the presence of antibodies or antigens in a patient's blood sample. Examples of potentiators include

albumin Albumin is a family of globular proteins, the most common of which are the serum albumins. All of the proteins of the albumin family are water- soluble, moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experience heat denaturation. Alb ...

, LISS (low ionic-strength saline) and PEG (

polyethylene glycol Polyethylene glycol (PEG; ) is a polyether compound derived from petroleum with many applications, from industrial manufacturing to medicine. PEG is also known as polyethylene oxide (PEO) or polyoxyethylene (POE), depending on its molecular wei ...

).* Potentiators are also known as enhancement reagents. Albumin acts as a potentiator by reducing the

zeta potential Zeta potential is the electrical potential at the slipping plane. This plane is the interface which separates mobile fluid from fluid that remains attached to the surface.is a scientific term for Electrokinetic phenomena, electrokinetic Electric ...

around the suspended red blood cells, thus dispersing the repulsive negative charges and enhancing agglutination. Low

ionic strength The ionic strength of a solution is a measure of the concentration of ions in that solution. Ionic compounds, when dissolved in water, dissociate into ions. The total electrolyte concentration in solution will affect important properties such a ...

saline (LISS) is a potentiator that acts by not only reducing the

, but also by increasing the amount of antibody taken up by the

red blood cell Red blood cells (RBCs), referred to as erythrocytes (, with -''cyte'' translated as 'cell' in modern usage) in academia and medical publishing, also known as red cells, erythroid cells, and rarely haematids, are the most common type of blood cel ...

during sensitization. LISS is a solution of

glycine Glycine (symbol Gly or G; ) is an amino acid that has a single hydrogen atom as its side chain. It is the simplest stable amino acid. Glycine is one of the proteinogenic amino acids. It is encoded by all the codons starting with GG (G ...

and albumin. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) in a LISS solution removes water from the system and thus concentrates the antibodies present. PEG can cause non-specific aggregation of cells, thus eliminating the necessity for centrifugation after incubation. PEG is not appropriate for use in samples from patients with increased plasma

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

, such as patients with

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

. False-positive results may occur more frequently with the use of polyethylene glycol due to its strong agglutination capabilities.

Pharmacology

In clinical pharmacology, a potentiator is a drug, herb, or chemical that intensifies the effects of a given drug. For example,

hydroxyzine Hydroxyzine, sold under the brand names Atarax and Vistaril among others, is an antihistamine medication. It is used in the treatment of itchiness, anxiety, insomnia, and nausea (including that due to motion sickness). It is used either by mou ...

dextromethorphan Dextromethorphan, sold under the brand name Robitussin among others, is a cough suppressant used in many cough and Common cold, cold medicines. In 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the combination dextromethorphan/bupropi ...

is used to get more pain relief and

anxiolysis An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or anti-anxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxie ...

out of an equal dose of an opioid medication. The potentiation can take place at any part of the liberation, absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of the drug.

References

{{Reflist Reagents for organic chemistry Chemical reactions