|
|
||||||||
Endocrinology and Metabolism |
1 Department of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
2 SRL Inc., Tokyo, Japan.
aAddress correspondence to this author at: Department of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Molecular Medicine, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-4-3, Asahi-machi, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-8585, Japan. Fax 81-6-6645-3808; e-mail inaba-m{at}med.osaka-cu.ac.jp.
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Methods: PTH was measured simultaneously by the Bio-PTH assay and Allegro intact PTH IRMA in sera from Japanese patients with calcium disorders.
Results: Measured Bio-PTH in serum was unaffected by six freeze-thaw cycles and was stable at 4 °C for 7 days and during storage at -20 or -80 °C over 28 days. The calibration curve was linear to 1800 ng/L. The detection limit was 3.9 ng/L. The intra- and interassay imprecision was <2.8% and 3.5%, respectively, for analyte concentrations spanning the range of the calibration curve. Bio-PTH was unaffected by a 1000-fold excess of PTH (784), although I-PTH reacted equally with PTH (784) and PTH (184). Bio-PTH was correlated with I-PTH in healthy individuals (r = 0.953; P <0.0001; n = 26) and in the full population without renal dysfunction (r = 0.994; P <0.0001; n = 62). In 72 volunteers, mean (SD) Bio-PTH was 22.2 (7.1) ng/L, or 62% of the mean I-PTH [36.1 (22.3) ng/L]. This ratio was 51% in hemodialysis patients (n = 177). Mean Bio-PTH was high in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism [121 (85) ng/L; n = 18] and hemodialysis patients [102 (104) ng/L; n = 177], low in idiopathic hypoparathyroidism [5.5 (2.8) ng/L; n = 4], and within 2 SD of the mean for healthy controls in Paget disease of the bone [34 (15) ng/L; n = 9] and bone metastasis [24 (12) ng/L; n = 8].
Conclusion: The Bio-PTH assay is sensitive and precise and produces expected results for patients with the studied disorders of calcium metabolism.
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The Bio-Intact PTH (184) assay (Nichols Institute) has recently been developed to specifically measure the intact PTH (184) molecule but not PTH fragments lacking one or several of the N-terminal amino acid residues of PTH (184) (6)(7). Briefly, the Bio-PTH assay is a two-site immunochemiluminometric assay that uses a biotinylated capture antibody recognizing the (3984) region and an acridinium-labeled antibody that binds PTH (184) without cross-reactivity with any of the N-terminally truncated PTH fragments.
We investigated the analytical performance of the Bio-PTH assay in serum obtained from Japanese patients with various metabolic bone diseases and assessed the potential clinical usefulness of this assay for estimating parathyroid function.
| Patients and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
bio-pth and second-generation allegro i-pth assays
Serum active PTH (184) was measured by the Bio-PTH assay, which is a two-site chemiluminometric assay, as described previously (6)(7). Briefly, the Bio-PTH assay uses an acridinium ester-labeled goat anti-PTH antibody that binds to the N-terminal amino acids of the human PTH molecule and a biotinylated capture antibody recognizing the (3984) region (6)(7). The sandwich complex was bound to streptavidin-coated magnetic particles, incubated, and then washed. The particles were then quantified in the luminometer. Serum I-PTH, which was found to react not only with biologically active PTH (184) but also with large C-terminal fragments, which are present in sera from healthy controls and, in particular, uremic patients (1)(6)(7)(8), was measured by a second-generation Allegro I-PTH IRMA (Nichols Institute) (9)(10).
intraassay and interassay variances of bio-pth and i-pth assays
We evaluated the analytical performance by determining the intra- and interassay imprecision of the Bio-PTH and I-PTH assays. We assessed intraassay imprecision by measuring four serum samples with different concentrations of PTH in 10 replicates each and interassay precision with the same samples over a 10-day period.
stability of pth immunoreactivity measured by bio-pth assay
To investigate the stability of PTH in samples during storage, we stored three serum pools with different PTH concentrations at 25, 4, -20, and -80 °C for 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 14 days before measuring for the PTH concentrations by Bio-PTH assay.
freeze/thaw experiments and interference
Two serum samples with different PTH concentrations, as measured by the Bio-PTH assay, were repeatedly frozen at -20 °C and thawed in a water bath at 15 °C. The number of freeze-thaw cycles for any one sample was up to six. Serum samples with I-PTH concentrations of 23.4 ng/L were measured simultaneously with the Bio-PTH and I-PTH assays with and without the addition of PTH (784) at final concentrations of 75, 700, 2000, and 7500 ng/L to investigate the interference of PTH (784) with each assay.
determination of serum pth by bio-pth and i-pth assays in healthy individuals and patients with metabolic bone diseases
To investigate the correlation between results obtained with the Bio-PTH and I-PTH assays, sera obtained from healthy individuals (n = 26) and from patients with various metabolic bone diseases (n = 36) were analyzed simultaneously for serum Bio-PTH and I-PTH. Serum samples obtained from 72 healthy controls and 216 patients [primary hyperparathyroidism (n = 18), idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (n = 4), Paget disease of the bone (n = 9), metastatic bone disease (n = 8), uremic patients on hemodialysis (n = 177)] were measured in the Bio-PTH assay to determine values for healthy controls and the changes produced by various metabolic bone diseases.
statistical analysis
Data were analyzed by use of the StatView 5.0 J program (Abacus Concepts, Inc.) on a computer running the Windows operating system. All results are shown as the mean (SD) unless otherwise indicated. Data on the stability of the Bio-PTH immunoreactivity are expressed as the means of duplicate measurements. Correlation coefficients were calculated by simple regression analysis, and the differences in means between two groups were analyzed by the Student t-test. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
stability of bio-pth immunoreactivities in serum during storage
The stability of PTH, as measured by the Bio-PTH assay, in serum at various temperatures is shown in Fig. 2
. The serum PTH concentrations measured by the Bio-PTH assay did not decrease significantly in samples stored at -20 or -80 °C for 14 days. However, in samples stored at 25 and 4 °C, the values measured by the Bio-PTH assay decreased significantly. In addition, the same samples, with Bio-PTH values of 53 and 173 ng/L, that were used in the experiments illustrated in Fig. 2
were subjected to repeated freezingthawing for up to six cycles before being analyzed by the Bio-PTH assay (Fig. 3
). The values obtained with the Bio-PTH assay were not affected by up to six freezingthawing cycles.
|
|
linearity and interferences
To examine whether the assays were influenced by some substances in serum, serum samples with high concentrations of PTH, as measured by Bio-PTH assay, were diluted 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, 1:16, and 1:32 with the assay Sample Diluent before being analyzed. The assay was linear within the measurement range up to 1800 ng/L (Fig. 4
).
|
Interference from PTH (784) was tested in serum from a healthy individual. As shown in Table 2
, when PTH (784) was added to the serum at final concentrations of 75 and 700 ng/L, the PTH concentrations measured by the I-PTH assay increased significantly, from 12 to 84 and 717 ng/L, respectively, whereas those measured by the Bio-PTH assay did not change appreciably, from 6.9 to 6.1 and 6.7 ng/L, respectively. As the final concentration of PTH (784) increased to 2000 and 7500 ng/L, the concentration measured by the I-PTH assay increased to >1800 ng/L, whereas the concentrations measured by the Bio-PTH increased slightly, to 8.5 and 8.8 ng/L, respectively. To further assess the possible interference by hemolysis, serum lipids, or bilirubin, we diluted the three sera used for the experiment illustrated in Fig. 2
, with different PTH concentrations as measured by the Bio-PTH assay, in plasma containing lysed blood cells, high concentrations of lipids, or bilirubin. Serum values measured by the Bio-PTH assay were essentially unaffected by hemoglobin up to 4.85 g/L, serum lipids up to 3.2 g/L, or bilirubin C and F up to 204 and 191 g/L, respectively (data not shown).
|
correlation between serum bio-pth and i-pth values
To study the correlation between the PTH concentrations measured by the Bio-PTH and I-PTH assays, we assayed 62 serum samples at the same time in the Bio-PTH and I-PTH assays. As shown in Fig. 5
, we observed a significant and positive correlation between serum Bio-PTH and I-PTH values in healthy individuals [slope, 0.638 (95% confidence interval, 0.5530.723); y-intercept, 0.479 (95% confidence interval, -2.518 to 3.457); Sy|x 0.282; r = 0.953; P <0.0001; n = 26] or in the healthy individuals and patients with metabolic bone diseases [slope, 0.575 (95% confidence interval, 0.5590.591); y-intercept, 1.836 (95% confidence interval, -2.025 to 5.697); Sy|x = 0.151; r = 0.994; P <0.0001; n = 62].
|
serum bio-pth in patients with metabolic bone diseases
Mean (SD) serum Bio-PTH was 22.2 (7.1) ng/L in healthy controls (n = 72). The results of Bio-PTH assay indicated high serum Bio-PTH concentrations in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and hemodialysis patients, low values in those with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism, and values within 2 SD of the mean for healthy controls in those with Paget disease of the bone and metastatic bone disease (Fig. 6
). Mean (SD) serum Bio-PTH was as follows: 120.5 (84.8) ng/L in primary hyperparathyroidism (n = 18), 102.4 (104.2) ng/L in hemodialysis patients (n = 177), 5.5 (2.8) ng/L in idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (n = 4), 34.1 (15.2) ng/L in Paget disease of the bone (n = 9), and 23.8 (11.5) ng/L in metastatic bone disease (n = 8). Sixteen of 18 (89%) patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and 120 of 177 (68%) hemodialysis patients had Bio-PTH concentrations >2 SD above the mean of the healthy controls (36.4 ng/L). The numbers of patients with serum Bio-PTH within 2 SD of the mean of the healthy controls were 2 of 18 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, 1 of 4 patients with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism, 9 of 9 patients with Paget disease of bone, and 7 of 8 patients with metastatic bone disease. Three of four patients with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism and one of eight patients with metastatic bone disease who developed humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy had Bio-PTH concentrations more than 2 SD below the mean for the healthy controls (8.0 ng/L). Of interest, the Bio-PTH/I-PTH ratio was 0.51 (0.34) in uremic patients on hemodialysis, significantly lower than the value [0.64 (0.10)] in healthy controls.
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The validity of Bio-PTH assay was supported by (a) a good correlation with the I-PTH assay in sera obtained from healthy controls and patients with various metabolic bone diseases (Fig. 5
), and (b) its good reflection of parathyroid activity in various metabolic bone diseases (Fig. 6
). In the patients with increased parathyroid function resulting from primary hyperparathyroidism, almost 90% had serum Bio-PTH concentrations exceeding 2 SD of the mean for the healthy controls. In contrast, serum Bio-PTH concentrations in 75% of the patients with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism were more than 2 SD below the mean for the healthy controls. Although 2 of 18 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and 1 of 4 patients with idiopathic hypoparathyroidism had serum Bio-PTH concentrations within 2 SD of the mean for the healthy controls, those concentrations were abnormally high in the former group and low in the latter group of patients for their serum calcium concentrations. Among eight patients with metastatic bone disease, only one, who developed humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy, had serum Bio-PTH concentrations more than 2 SD below the mean for the healthy controls. These data clearly indicated that serum concentrations measured by the Bio-PTH assay provide a valuable indicator to estimate parathyroid function.
The second-generation I-PTH assay is now known to react similarly with both the PTH (184) molecule and the PTH (784) molecule (Table 2
). It has been reported that PTH (784) may contribute to the occurrence of skeletal resistance to PTH in hemodialysis patients because of its reported antagonistic action to PTH (184) (2)(13); we therefore suggest that serum PTH concentrations determined by I-PTH assay might indicate the sum of the agonistic and antagonistic actions of PTH. Mean concentrations measured by the Bio-PTH and I-PTH assays in healthy controls (n = 72) were 22.2 (7.1) and 36.1 (22.3) ng/L, indicating that the non-(184) molecular forms account for
40% of circulating PTH immunoreactivity. Because N-truncated non-(184) PTH fragments persist in the circulation for much longer than PTH (184) because of their exclusive excretion into urine (3), serum PTH concentrations affected by renal impairment attributable to accumulation of non-(184)-PTH fragments should be greater in the I-PTH assay than in the Bio-PTH assay. In agreement with this hypothesis, the serum Bio-PTH/I-PTH ratio was decreased significantly in hemodialysis patients compared with healthy controls. In healthy individuals, the proportion of non-(184) PTH fragments in all PTH molecules increases with hypercalcemia and decreases with hypocalcemia (14)(15). In support of this, we found that serum calcium is an independent factor negatively associated with the serum Bio-PTH/I-PTH ratio in hemodialysis patients, suggesting that an increase in serum calcium might suppress the Bio-PTH/I-PTH ratio (manuscript submitted for publication). Taken collectively, these results suggest that PTH values obtained with the second-generation I-PTH assay are complicated by the presence of inactive PTH fragments, which could be modulated by serum calcium and renal dysfunction. Therefore, the results obtained with the second-generation I-PTH assay may not accurately reflect parathyroid function, particularly in those with renal dysfunction and calcium disorders.
In conclusion, we suggest that the serum Bio-PTH assay is more suitable than the second-generation I-PTH assay for estimating parathyroid function.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:
![]() |
H. Komaba, Y. Takeda, J. Shin, R. Tanaka, T. Kakuta, Y. Tominaga, and M. Fukagawa Reversed whole PTH/intact PTH ratio as an indicator of marked parathyroid enlargement: five case studies and a literature review NDT Plus, August 1, 2008; 1(suppl_3): iii54 - iii58. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
M. Tanaka, H. Komaba, K. Itoh, K. Matsushita, K. Matshushita, Y. Hamada, H. Fujii, and M. Fukagawa The whole-PTH/intact-PTH ratio is a useful predictor of severity of secondary hyperparathyroidism NDT Plus, August 1, 2008; 1(suppl_3): iii59 - iii62. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
N. Ljungdahl, M. Haarhaus, C. Linder, and P. Magnusson Comparison of 3 Third-Generation Assays for Bio-intact Parathyroid Hormone. Clin. Chem., May 1, 2006; 52(5): 903 - 904. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. Arakawa, P. D'Amour, L. Rousseau, J.-H. Brossard, M. Sakai, H. Kasumoto, N. Igaki, T. Goto, T. Cantor, and M. Fukagawa Overproduction and Secretion of a Novel Amino-Terminal Form of Parathyroid Hormone from a Severe Type of Parathyroid Hyperplasia in Uremia Clin. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., May 1, 2006; 1(3): 525 - 531. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. Boudou, F. Ibrahim, C. Cormier, E. Sarfati, and J.-C. Souberbielle Unexpected Serum Parathyroid Hormone Profiles in Some Patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism Clin. Chem., April 1, 2006; 52(4): 757 - 760. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. Boudou, F. Ibrahim, C. Cormier, A. Chabas, E. Sarfati, and J.-C. Souberbielle Third- or Second-Generation Parathyroid Hormone Assays: A Remaining Debate in the Diagnosis of Primary Hyperparathyroidism J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., December 1, 2005; 90(12): 6370 - 6372. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. Kawata, Y. Imanishi, K. Kobayashi, N. Onoda, Y. Takemoto, H. Tahara, S. Okuno, E. Ishimura, T. Miki, T. Ishikawa, et al. Direct in Vitro Evidence of Extracellular Ca2+-Induced Amino-Terminal Truncation of Human Parathyroid Hormone (1-84) by Human Parathyroid Cells J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., October 1, 2005; 90(10): 5774 - 5778. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
T. K. Teal, J. L. Wood, P. E. Stevens, and E. J. Lamb Stability of Bio-Intact (1-84) Parathyroid Hormone ex Vivo in Serum and EDTA Plasma from Hemodialysis Patients Clin. Chem., September 1, 2004; 50(9): 1713 - 1714. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |