Isolation and characterization of 5alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione and progesterone in pepipheral blood of pregnant women. measurement throughout pregnancy.
5alpha-Pregnane-3,20-dione and progesterone were isolated from a pregnancy plasma pool and were identified by using a combination of chromatographic techniques and mass spectrometry. Antibodies to progesterone were obtained in rabbits by immunization with progesterone-1alpha-carboxyethyl-thioether-thyroglobulin. The raised antibodies were of high affinity and one of them cross-reacted (137%) with 5alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione. This property was used to develop radioimmunoassays for measuring circulating levels of both progesterone and 5alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione in pregnancy plasma. The levels of both progesterone and 5alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione increase throughout pregnancy, but a highly significant increase is observed only after the 32nd week of gestation.
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011277:Pregnanediones / Q000097:blood* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011817:Rabbits / Q000276:immunology; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D000906:Antibodies; D011277:Pregnanediones; D011374:Progesterone