Hormones & Steroids

Prolactin (PRL)

Prolactin (PRL) is a protein that is best known for its role in initiating and maintaining lactation in mammals. It is secreted by the anterior pituitary gland and controlled by the hypothalamus. High levels of prolactin are normal during pregnancy and postpartum during breastfeeding, however consistently elevated levels (>30 ng/mL) in the absence of a pregnancy are indicative of hyperprolactinemia, the most common hypothalamic-pituitary disorder encountered in clinical endocrinology. Hyperprolactinemia caused by prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma, primary hypothyroidism, renal insufficiency, polycystic ovarian disease, and ectopic tumors. It often results in galactorrhea (unexplained flow of breast milk), amenorrhea, and infertility in females, and in impotence and hypogonadism in males. Certain medications and some common stressors can also raise prolactin levels. The biologically active form of prolactin is the 23-kDa monomeric polypeptide secreted by the pituitary gland; however, circulating prolactin exists in a number of additional forms. Big prolactin (60 kDa) and macroprolactin (150 kDa), which are present in serum in varying quantities, can cause apparent hyperprolactinemia, but they have no clinical importance because they exhibit little biological activity. Several studies have shown that prolactin two-site sandwich immunoassays are susceptible to interference from macroprolactin. Current best practice recommends that all sera with increased total prolactin concentrations be subfractionated by PEG precipitation to measure the bioactive monomeric prolactin concentration, a more clinically meaningful variable.

Reagents for Immunoassay Development

MAb to Prolactin • Cross-reactivity: hGH (<0.1%) • Capture Antibody

MAF10-111

MAb to Prolactin • Detection Antibody

MAF10-145

MAb to Human Prolactin • Cross-reactivity: hCG-b, hCG, hLH, hFSH is (<1%) & Prolactin (100%) • Capture or Detection Antibody MAb to Human Prolactin • MW 23 kD • Capture or Detection Antibody Human Prolactin, Recombinant • Lyophilized

E20122M

Suitable for use in ELISA

E20630M

A01274H