Assay Principle: 

The 11-Ketotestosterone ELISA Kit quantitatively measures 11-Ketotestosterone in urine, extracted plasma, extracted serum, and dried fecal extracts. This competitive ELISA has a run time of 2.5 hours. Please read the complete kit insert for more information before performing this assay. Use our provided 11-Ketotestosterone standard to generate a standard curve for the assay.

Protocol Summary:

• Introduce standards or diluted samples into the transparent microtiter plate, pre-coated with goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody.
• Add 11-Ketotestosterone peroxidase conjugate and 11-Ketotestosterone rabbit polyclonal antibody to each well.
• Incubate the mixture covered at room temperature with shaking for 2 hours, facilitating the immunological reaction.
• After incubation, wash the plate to remove excess conjugate. Add the TMB substrate, which interacts with the bound conjugate to produce a detectable signal.
• Use a plate reader to detect the signal at 450nm and calculate the 11-Ketotestosterone concentration using the standard curve.

Background:

Androgenic hormones like testosterone regulate growth, size, and reproduction in many male organisms. In teleost fish, 11-ketotestosterone, alongside testosterone, plays a significant role in inducing reproductive characteristics in both genders. Particularly in male fish, 11-ketotestosterone levels surge during spermatogenesis in the spawning season. In females, this hormone regulates ovarian development by increasing before yolk deposition.

The role of 11-ketotestosterone extends beyond aquatic species. Recent research has established its presence and function in humans and other mammals. Unlike in fish, primate serum 11-ketotestosterone concentrations show no significant gender-based differences, indicating a non-testis-dependent production, likely originating from adrenal-derived 11-oxyandrogen precursors. Interestingly, higher levels of 11-ketotestosterone have been found in prepubertal children and postmenopausal women than in men. This finding suggests it could be used as a clinical biomarker for adrenal androgen excess in conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hirsutism in women.

The DetectX® 11-Ketotestosterone ELISA Kit is an essential tool for endocrinologists and researchers, enabling the precise measurement of 11-Ketotestosterone levels in various biological samples. This kit facilitates the study of its physiological roles and potential clinical applications in human health and disease.