Radioimmunoassay of 16alpha-hydroxy-dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate

A simple and reliable radioimmunoassay for plasma 3beta, 16alpha-dihydroxy-5-androsten-17-one(16alpha-OH-DHEA) and its sulfate has been developed. The antiserum against 16alpha-OH-DHEA and its sulfate (16alpha-OH-DHEA-3-sulfate) was produced in rabbits immunized with 16alpha-OH-DHEA-3-succinate-bovine serum albumin. This antiserum reacted well with both 16alpha-OH-DHEA and its sulfate and only slightly cross reacted with DHEA and its sulfate. The coefficient of variation (C.V.) of the intra assay was 10.26% for 16alpha-OH-DHEA and 12.32% for 16alpha-OH-DHEA-S. The C.V. of the interassay were 14.34% for 16alpha-OH-DHEA and 15.64% for 16alpha-OH-DHEA-S. The umbilical artery concentrations for 16alpha-OH-DHEA and 16alpha-OH-DHEA-S were 7.20 +/- 6.71 ng/ml and 4490 +/- 2140 ng/ml, and the umbilical vein concentrations were 14.20 +/- 11.27 ng/ml and 2970 +/- 1450 ng/ml respectively.