abia Progesterone
abia Progesterone enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative determination of progesterone concentration in human serum.
For professional use only.
Clinical value
Progesterone is a female sex hormone which, in conjunction with estrogens, regulates the accessory organs during the menstrual cycle and it is particularly important in preparing the endometrium for the implantation of the blastocyte and in maintaining pregnancy.
In non-pregnant women progesterone is mainly secreted by the corpus luteum whereas in pregnancy the placenta becomes the major source. Minor sources are the adrenal cortex for both sexes and the testes for males. Progesterone circulates in blood mainly bound to corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and albumin. Only 2 - 10 % of the total concentration circulates as free hormone. Blood progesterone concentrations vary widely according to the phases of menstrual cycle. The maximal levels are achieved 4 - 7 days after ovulation and remain elevated for 4 - 6 additional days prior to falling to the preovulatory levels 24 hours before the onset of menstruation.
Since the rise and fall of progesterone parallel the activity of ovarian follicle and corpus luteum, measurements of serum progesterone are clinically used to confirm ovulation and normal function of the corpus luteum in non-pregnant women. If ovulation does not occur the corpus luteum is not formed and no cyclical rise of progesterone in blood is observed.
Abnormal progesterone secretion has been implicated in premenstrual tension, irregular shedding of endometrium, dysmenorrhoea, and luteal insufficiency. Progesterone concentration can vary not only from subject to subject but also in the same person from day to day or even
from hour to hour. Consequently, in gynecological disorders or abnormal pregnancies serial measurements rather than single ones are recommended for a proper interpretation of results. During pregnancy progesterone is widely produced by placenta.
Principle of the test
abia Progesterone is a one-step immunoassay, based on the principle of the competitive method.
Progesterone present in the sample and the labeled enzyme-progesterone in the conjugate compete for binding to the capture antibody on the anti-progesterone coated microplate. The enzyme activity in the antibody-bound fraction is inversely proportional to the native progesterone concentration.
The unbound components are removed by washing. After addition of the solution containing TMB and hydrogen peroxide, the wells with bound conjugate develop a blue color which is converted to yellow after the reaction has been stopped with sulphuric acid.
The color intensity is inversely proportional to the concentration of the progesterone in the specimen and can be read at 450 nm.