Radioimmunoassay for sulprostone

The development of a radioimmunoassay for measuring subnanogram amounts of the prostaglandin uterine stimulant, sulprostone (N-methanesulfonyl 16-phenoxy-omega-tetranor PGE2 carboxamide), is described. The 9-carboxymethoxime derivative of sulprostone was coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin to prepare the immunogen, and to tyramine to yield a precursor suitable for radioiodination. The antiserum generated from rabbits was specific for sulprostone, showing cross reactivities of less than 0.1% against PGE2, PGF2 alpha, and known sulprostone metabolites. The range for routine assay of sulprostone was 10-300 pg which corresponded to 50-1500 pg/ml of plasma. The coefficient of variation for replicate analyses on the same sample was 8-12%. The assay was used to measure the plasma levels of sulprostone in patients who had received the drug intramuscularly.