Glucocorticoids like corticosterone guide fundamental processes associated with converting sugar, fat, and protein stores to useable energy, inhibiting swelling and inflammation, and suppressing immune responses following a stress event. The adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulates the cortex of the adrenal gland to release the Corticosterone. It is an important stress marker in nonhuman mammals.
Measuring Corticosterone
Competitive immunoassays, RIA, and EIA methods are typical for measuring corticosterone levels in biological matrices. Most RIAs or EIAs require solvent extraction techniques to measure serum or plasma corticosterone levels; however, extraction may be very difficult or impossible with mouse samples due to the large plasma or serum volume required for most extraction protocols.
Our Corticosterone ELISA (K014-H1 and K014-H5) and CLIA (K014-C1 and K014-C5) kits overcome this serum and plasma volume problem by allowing the direct measurement of corticosterone from as little as 1μL of mouse serum or plasma. Treatment with Arbor Assays’ Dissociation Reagent that liberates the corticosterone from any binding proteins within the serum or plasma. The mixture is then diluted 1:50 or greater with assay buffer and added directly to the well of the provided microtiter plate for analysis by EIA/CLIA without any extractions.
The Corticosterone ELISA provides results in 90 minutes, and the chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) in 2 hours. The EIA standard range spans 10,000 to 78 pg/mL, and the CLIA ranges from 3,000 to 12.3 pg/mL with a measured sensitivity of 6.7 pg/mL. The CLIA allows concentrations of <0.004 μM of corticosterone to be measured. Typical c57bl/6j mouse serum corticosterone levels fall at 0.08 ± 0.01 μM, allowing measurement with this assay without extraction.
Use Our Validated Corticosterone ELISA
- Wide range: 10,000 to 78 pg/mL
- 1 μL serum or plasma sample: for duplicate measurements
- Proven Results – Over 200 Literature Citations for EIA and CLIA
- No solvents and no extractions
- Results in 90 minutes
- Validated for multiple sample types: plasma, serum, urine, hair, feathers, fecal extracts, and tissue culture media
- Species independent
- Multispecies – Validated in mice, rats, monkeys, other mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians
- High-quality and economical
- All with superior 4°C liquid stability
“The Arbor Assays EIA and CLIA for corticosterone are the best kits I have ever used. They are exquisitely sensitive, with easy to follow instructions, and they work beautifully.” Prof. SL, Univ. of Kentucky
Customer’s Validation Data Using 1 μL Mouse Serum without Extraction
Comparison of the Arbor Assays EIA with a Commercial RIA
Typical Data Comparison of our EIA and CLIA Corticosterone Assays
