A faster radioimmunoassay of progesterone in plasma, with use of polyethylene glycol as precipitant.

Abstract

We report a reliable radioimmunoassay for plasma progesterone in which polyethylene glycol ("Carbowax 6000") is used to separate antibody-bound and free hormone. Initially, progesterone is concentrated by putting the sample through a column of LH-20 Sephadex. Procedural losses in each sample are not monitored. We compared the reliability and practicality of this method with that of another method in which procedural losses are monitored for each sample; accuracy and precision were similar. Our method saves technical assay time and scintillation counter space and time without sacrificing reliability.