DHEA free in Saliva ELISA

Background:Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA; androstenolone; 3β-hydroxy-androst-5-en-17-one) is a C19 steroid produced in the adrenal cortex and, to a lesser extent, in the gonads. DHEA serves as a precursor in testosterone and estrogen synthesis. Due to the presence of a 17-oxo (rather than hydroxyl) group, DHEA has relatively weak androgenic activity, which has been estimated at ~10% that of testosterone. However, in neonates, peripubertal children and in adult women, circulating DHEA levels may be several-fold higher than testosterone concentrations, and rapid peripheral tissue conversion to more potent androgens (androstenedione and testosterone) and estrogens may occur. Moreover, DHEA has relatively low affinity for sex-hormone binding globulin. These factors may enhance the physiologic biopotency of DHEA. The measurement of DHEA is a useful marker of adrenal androgen synthesis. Elevated levels may occur under various conditions, including 11β-hydroxylase and 3-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase deficiencies, and in some cases female hirsutism. Since very little DHEA is produced by the gonads, measurement of DHEA levels can help to locate the source of androgen under virilizing conditions. Salivary DHEA concentrations show good correlation with serum, and decreasing values with increasing age in adults have been well-documented. Thus the measurement of DHEA levels in saliva, in addition to other clinical observations and diagnostic tests is useful in assessing the adrenal function and can be used as an aid in the diagnosis of adrenal disorders in conjunction with other steroids like testosterone, DHT or androstendione.

Description:
The DHEA free in Saliva ELISA is a solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the competition principle. An unknown amount of antigen present in the sample and enzyme-labeled antigen compete for the binding sites of antibodies coated onto the wells. After incubation, any unbound sample antigen and conjugate is washed off. The amount of bound peroxidase conjugate is inversely proportional to the concentration of DHEA in the sample. After addition of the substrate solution, the intensity of color developed is inversely proportional to the concentration of DHEA in the sample. The enzymatic reaction is stopped by addition of stop solution and the optical density (OD) is measured. A calibration curve is constructed by plotting OD values against concentrations of calibrators, and concentrations of unknown samples are determined using this standard curve.

Product features:
The kit contains reagents for 96 determinations;
Microtiter plate consisting of 12x8 (break-apart) strips;
Microtiter plate reader at 450 nm;
Assay dynamic range: 10 - 2560 pg/mL;
IVD