Fibroblast growth factor-19: Development, analytical characterization and clinical evaluation of a new ELISA test

Objective. Since fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF-19) is a potent metabolic regulator that influences glucose and lipid homeostasis, our aim was to develop an ELISA assay for measuring FGF-19 in human serum and to investigate its concentrations in healthy volunteers and patients suffering from metabolic syndrome. Material and methods. A sandwich ELISA method was developed for quantitative determination of human FGF-19 in serum samples. Blood pressure, waist circumference, FGF-21 serum levels, serum cholesterol, triacylglycerols, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, insulin, glucose, adiponectin, uric acid, creatinine, hs-CRP and calculated BMI and Quicki insulin sensitivity index were measured in 153 healthy volunteers and 66 persons with metabolic syndrome. Results. Neither sex nor age influenced FGF-19 serum concentration in the healthy volunteers. Probands with metabolic syndrome had 65 % lower FGF-19 serum values than the healthy ones (medians 158.6 versus 242.4 ng L; p