title: An avidin-biotin amplified ELISA for thyrotropin in human serum. Its implication for routine determination of thyrotropin in developing countries.
abstract: In developing countries the acquisition and use of radioisotopes with their short shelf lives poses enormous problems. The objective of this study was to develop a simple, sensitive, non-isotopic method for the measurement of TSH in human serum. A conventional sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique was modified to incorporate the avidin-biotin complex (ABC) in order to enhance the sensitivity of a solid-phase micro-ELISA for TSH. The lower limit of TSH detectability was 0.2 mIU/l. TSH levels ranged from 0.3 to 5.1 mIU/l in euthyroid subjects, 11.5-98.0 mIU/l in hypothyroid subjects and less than 0.2-2.1 mIU/l in hyperthyroid subjects. Sera from euthyroid post-menopausal or pregnant women yielded TSH levels within the normal range. The correlation between the TSH values obtained in the ELISA-ABC and a sensitive commercial immunoradiometric method was high (n = 59, r = 0.980, P less than 0.01). The simplicity and relatively high sensitivity of the procedure should make it a method of choice for TSH determination in small hospitals and those in developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine II, Southampton General Hospital, U.K.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ohwovoriole
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Wilkin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001360:Avidin; D001710:Biotin; D003429:Cross Reactions; D003906:Developing Countries; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000097:blood; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D012015:Reference Standards; D012016:Reference Values; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001360:Avidin; D001710:Biotin; D013972:Thyrotropin