Salivary Progesterone

Intended Use

The Salimetrics Progesterone Enzyme Immunoassay Kit is a competitive immunoassay specifically designed and validated for the quantitative measurement of salivary Progesterone. It is not intended for diagnostic use. It is intended only for research use in humans and some animals. Salimetrics has not validated this kit for serum or plasma samples.

Introduction

Progesterone (4-pregenene-3,20-dione) is a steroid hormone of primary importance in ovulation, fertility, pregnancy, and menopause. Synthesis of Progesterone takes place in the placenta, adrenal glands, and gonads. In normal, non-pregnant women during the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle, Progesterone exhibits a prominent circadian rhythm with additional ultradian components. Peak production occurs in the evening around 6 PM. In pregnant women, Progesterone also exhibits a similar rhythm during the second and third trimester, with a nadir in the morning and a peak in the late evening. In males, Progesterone is thought to play some role in testicular physiology. In addition to its role as a sex hormone, Progesterone also serves as a precursor compound for many of the other steroid hormones. Progesterone is also synthesized in the brain and nervous system, where it functions as a neurosteroid that can influence survival and growth of cells, and it is involved in brain development and behavior. In blood, only 1 to 10% of Progesterone is in its unbound or biologically active form. The remaining Progesterone is bound to serum proteins. Unbound Progesterone enters the saliva via intracellular mechanisms, and the majority of Progesterone in saliva is not protein-bound. Salivary Progesterone levels are unaffected by salivary flow rate or salivary enzymes. Correlations obtained between plasma and salivary levels measured in the same subjects have generally been quite high.

Salivary Progesterone Assay Principle

This is a competitive immunoassay kit. Progesterone in standards and samples compete with Progesterone conjugated to horseradish peroxidase for the antibody binding sites on a microtitre plate. After incubation, unbound components are washed away. Bound Progesterone Enzyme Conjugate is measured by the reaction of the horseradish peroxidase enzyme to the substrate tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). This reaction produces a blue color. A yellow color is formed after stopping the reaction with an acidic solution. The optical density is read on a standard plate reader at 450 nm. The amount of Progesterone Enzyme Conjugate detected is inversely proportional to the amount of Progesterone present in the sample.