Measurement of somatostatin

Biological activity of somatostatin can be altered by modifications in the amino acid sequence. Thus, a number of bioassays have been developed in order to measure the potency and specificity of analogues and heterogeneous molecular forms of somatostatin. These procedures may assist in the estimation of somatostatin contents of tissue extracts but measurements in blood are limited by the presence of other substances masking the biological response to somatostatin. Recently, radioimmunoassay procedures have been developed and their usefulness in experimental and clinical medicine is reviewed.