Digitalis-like immunoreactive substances in maternal and umbilical cord plasma: A comparative sensitivity study of fluorescence polarization immunoassay and microparticle enzyme immunoassay

Digitalis-like immunoreactive substances (DLIS) obtained from maternal and umbilical cord plasma at delivery were measured by fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA; TDX, Abbott) and microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA; IMX, Abbott). In each sample, concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, estradiol, estriol, hydrocortisone, progesterone, and testosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay, and cross-reaction tests of DLIS with these substances were conducted. By FPIA, the concentration of DLIS in umbilical cord plasma (0.55 +/- 0.22 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that in maternal plasma (0.23 +/- 0.11 ng/mL). In the cross-reaction tests, when the concentration of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate was higher than 1.0 microg/mL or that of progesterone was higher than 0.5 microg/mL, DLIS were detected by FPIA. However, DLIS were not found either in the samples or in the cross-reaction tests by MEIA. By radioimmunoassay, there was no significant difference in the dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentration between the maternal plasma (2,917 +/- 1,001 ng/mL) and the umbilical cord plasma (1,957 +/- 376 ng/mL). The progesterone concentration in the umbilical cord plasma (310.0 +/- 85.7 ng/mL) was significantly higher than that in the maternal plasma (126.4 +/- 38.5 ng/mL). These results suggest that dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in maternal plasma and progesterone in maternal and umbilical cord plasma may be measured as digoxin by FPIA.