Immunoluminometric assay of chromogranin A in serum with commercially available reagents

Chromogranin A (Cg A) is a useful marker of neuroendocrine neoplasia in humans. Here we describe an immunoluminometric assay (ILMA) for measuring Cg A in serum, with use of a new tube as a solid phase. The new tube has a large surface area and is coated with a polyclonal antibody. Optimized coating conditions provide a high IgG adsorption to the polystyrene wall. Serum is added to the coated tube and incubated for 2 h or overnight. After washing the tubes, acridinium ester-labeled monoclonal antibody against Cg A is added and incubation is continued for 2 h. The tubes are washed again and the bound luminescence is measured. The assay is very sensitive (detection limit 1 microgram/L, if 25 microL of serum is used), is specific for human Cg A, and offers a wide dynamic range (1-1000 micrograms/L). The range in healthy humans is 10-53 micrograms/L (median 30 micrograms/L). The correlation of serum Cg A to creatinine and parathyroid hormone is described. We also report the influence of intravenous calcium injection on Cg A concentrations in serum.