Application of chemiluminescence immunoassays for steroid hormones in clinical endocrinological investigations in women

Abstract Immunoassays based on chemiluminescence for the measurement of serum and plasma steroids (estradiol, estriol, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol), urinary steroid conjugates (estrone-3-glucuronide, estriol-16α-glucuronide and pregnanediol-3α-glucuronide) and peptide hormones (choriogonadotropin and luteinizing hormone) are surveyed briefly. These immunoassays are simple, robust and valid alternatives to radioimmunoassay. Homogeneous procedures and recent solid-phase assays based on purified specific antibodies, covalently coupled to polymer beads are discussed. Some new results are presented for solid-phase chemiluminescence immunoassays: estradiol is quantified in extracts of serum by using a monoclonal antibody to estradiol with estradiol-6-carboxymethyloxime-aminobutylethyl isoluminol as the marker ligand, and progesterone is quantified in unextracted serum by using a polyclonal antibody to progesterone, progesterone-11-hemisuccinyl-aminobutylethyl isoluminol as the marker ligand, and danazol (17α-pregna-2,4-dien-20-yno[2,3-d]-isoxazol-17-ol) to displace progesterone from serum binding-proteins. Their clinical utility is demonstrated.