TheDetectX^®SerumEstradiolImmunoassaykitisdesignedtoquantitativelymeasureFree17ß-estradiolpresentinserumandplasmasamples.Anestradiolstandardisprovidedtogenerateastandardcurvefortheassayandallsamplesshouldbereadoffthestandardcurve.StandardsordilutedsamplesarePipettedintoaclearmicrotiterplatecoatedwithanantibodytocapturesheepantibodies.Anestradiol-peroxidaseconjugateisaddedtothewells.ThebindingreactionfortheEIA/ELISAisinitiatedbytheadditionofasheepantibodytoestradioltoeachwell.Afterincubationtheplateiswashedandsubstrateisadded.Thesubstratereactswiththeboundestradiol-peroxidaseconjugate.Afterashortincubation,thereactionisstoppedandtheintensityofthegeneratedcolorfromtheEIA/ELISAisdetectedinamicrotiterplatereadercapableofmeasuring450nmwavelength.

17ß-Estradiol(E2)isakeyregulatorofgrowth,differentiation,andfunctioninawidearrayoftissues,includingthemaleandfemalereproductivetracts,mammarygland,brain,skeletalandcardiovascularsystems.ThepredominantBIOLOGicaleffectsofE2aremediatedthroughtwodistinctintracellularreceptors,ERaandERß,eachencodedbyuniquegenespossessingthefunctionaldomaincharacteristicsofthesteroid/thyroidhormonesuperfamilyofnuclearreceptors.ERaisthepredominantformexpressedinthebreast,uterus,cervix,andvagina.ERßexhibitsamorelimitedpatternandisprimarilyexpressedintheovary,prostate,testis,spleen,lung,hypothalamus,andthymus.Estradiolalsoinfluencesbonegrowth,braindevelopmentandmaturation,andfoodintake,anditisalsocriticalinmaintainingorganfunctionsduringseveretrauma.Inplasma,estradiolisboundtoserumproteinssuchasalbuminandsexhormone-bindingglobulin.Justover2%ofE2isfreeandbiologicallyactive,thepercentageremainingconstantthroughoutthemenstrualcycle.Estradiolisconjugatedinthelivertosulfateandglucuronidederivativesandexcreted.Deactivationincludesconversiontoless-activeestrogens,suchasestroneandestriol.Estriolisthemajorurinarymetabolite.