Development of a dog-specific Enzyme-Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) for detecting Luteinising Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) in plasma

Abstract

The Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Gonadal axis is a complex system of positive and negative feedback loops. After gonadectomy the hormonal balances in the organism will shift. In dog increases in basal levels of LH and FHS have been reported after gonadectomy. In the current study we have aimed to develop a novel diagnostic Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) for the detection of LH and FSH in canine plasma. We show that with the use of cross-reactive antibodies, recognizing human FSH we were able to detect FSH plasma concentration above approximately 1,5 ng/ml. In addition a combination of a rat specific and an anti-human LH antibody LH concentrations above 10ng/ml could be detected in canine plasma, in a reproducible manner. Although the assay setup was effective and stable, additional experiments have to be performed to optimise the current test as a reliable diagnostic tool.