The Second International Standard for Human Pituitary LH: its collaborative study by bioassays and immunoassays

The second International Standard for Human Pituitary LH (in ampoules coded 80/552; 2nd IS) and LH 81/535 (prepared in the same way as the 2nd IS from the same LH preparation) were compared with the International Reference Preparation of Human Pituitary LH for Immunoassay (IRP 68/40) by 19 laboratories in 11 countries, using in-vivo and in-vitro bioassays, a receptor assay and immunoassays. Geometric mean estimates of the LH content of the 2nd IS (with 95% fiducial limits) in terms of IRP 68/40 were: 34.6 (29.1-41.0) IU/ampoule by in-vivo bioassays; 35.8 (27.0-47.4) IU/ampoule by in-vitro bioassays; 58.6 IU/ampoule by one receptor assay; and 36.8 (35.5-38.1) IU/ampoule by immunoassays. The close agreement between the relative activities of the 2nd IS and IRP 68/40 in the wide range of assay systems studied appears to reflect the fact that both standards contain highly purified LH with similar isoform compositions as judged by isoelectric focusing. Estimates of the LH content of LH 81/535 in terms of IRP 68/40 and in terms of the 2nd IS tended to be lower than those for the 2nd IS across all methods, but the differences were not statistically significant. The 2nd IS was found to be as suitable as IRP 68/40 as a standard for the in-vitro bioassay and immunoassay of LH in the two serum samples studied. However, the mean estimates of serum LH in terms of either of these standards were more than 150% larger by in-vitro bioassays than by immunoassays and more than 50% larger by one-site than by two-site immunoassays.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)