Radioimmunosorbent Assay of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone in Serum and Urine from Men and Women

Abstract

A radioimmunological technique for the assay of insulin was introduced by Yalow & Berson in 1959. The first immunological method used for the assay of a pituitary gonadotrophin was a haemagglutination inhibition reaction for luteinizing hormone, LH (Wide et al. 1961 Wide & Gemzell 1962). It was not until 1966 that there appeared reports on the use of radioimmunological techniques for determinations of both follicle-stimulating hormone, FSH (Franchimont 1966) and LH (Bagshawe et al. 1966, Franchimont 1966, Midgley 1966, Odell et al. 1966, Wide and Porath 1966). Since then several investigators have published results from studies on FSH and LH in serum or urine in various physiological states. The results have varied presumedly due to differences in the purity of the gonadotrophin preparations and in the specificity of the antisera used. Furthermore, different radioimmunological techniques and standard preparations have been utilized. In the present study the gonadotrophin preparations, the antisera, the standards and the radioimmunological method used differ from those of other investigators. The human pituitary FSH and LH preparations were of the highest purity reported so far. The antisera were raised against more purified gonadotrophin preparations than usually used as immunogens. The present investigation is an evaluation of the use of these reagents for the assay of the pituitary gonadotrophins by the radioimmunosorbent technique and includes results of FSH and LH determinations in serum and urine from healthy men and women.