Invitrogen™ Cortisol Competitive Human ELISA Kit 

Description

The Human Cortisol ELISA quantitates Cortisol in human serum,plasma,urine,saliva,dried fecal extracts or or cell culture medium.
Principle of the method
The Cortisol Competitive ELISA research-use-only kit is designed to quantitatively measure cortisol present in dried fecal extracts,saliva,urine,serum,plasma,and tissue culture media samples. Total cortisol is measured in extracted samples and in serum and plasma,and free cortisol in saliva and urine. A cortisol standard is provided to generate a standard curve for the assay and all samples are read off a user-generated standard curve. Standards or diluted samples are pipetted into a clear microtiter plate coated with an antibody to capture mouse antibodies. A cortisol-peroxidase conjugate is added to the wells. The binding reaction is initiated by the addition of a monoclonal antibody to cortisol. After a 1-hour incubation the plate is washed and substrate is added. The substrate reacts with the bound cortisol-peroxidase conjugate. After a short incubation,the reaction is stopped and the intensity of the generated color is detected in a microtiter plate reader at 450 nm.
Rigorous validation
Each manufactured lot of this ELISA kit is quality tested for criteria such as sensitivity,specificity,precision,and lot-to-lot consistency. See manual for more information on validation.

Cortisol is the most potent glucocorticoid produced by the human adrenal. It is synthesized from cholesterol and its production is stimulated by pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which is regulated by corticotropin releasing factor (CRF). ACTH and CRF secretions are inhibited by high cortisol levels in a negative feedback loop. In plasma a majority of cortisol is bound with high affinity to corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG or transcotin). Cortisol acts through specific intracellular receptors and affects numerous physiologic systems including immune function, glucose counter regulation, vascular tone, and bone metabolism.