Radioimmunoassay of Plasma Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate

Abstract

This report describes a radioimmunoassay method for the direct measurement of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) in diluted plasma. Utilizing a specific DHEA-S antiserum which reacted completely with DHEA, we have measured DHEA-S accurately in small aliquots of diluted plasma. Due to the relatively high concentration of DHEA-S in plasma, the effect of DHEA and other steroids on the assay was negligible. The usable range of the standard curve was between 10 and 500 pg DHEA-S. The range of levels that could be measured per ml of plasma varied from 0.02 to 5.0 pg. The range of values obtained by this method for plasma DHEA-S compared favorably with the ronge of levels observed in adult men and women, using various other techniques.