Product Overview
Background
What is corticosterone? Corticosterone is a glucocorticoid secreted by the adrenal cortex in response to stress. Glucocorticoids are also essential for proper metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in the body. While cortisol and corticosterone are both produced in response to stress in humans, corticosterone is the predominant glucocorticoid produced in mice and rats. Corticosterone has also been used as a predictor of stress in a variety of wild animals. In particular corticosterone levels were increased in Galapagos marine iguanas under famine conditions brought on by El Nino. While not always predictive of environmental stress in the wild2, conditions such as starvation, rapid temperature change or changes in daily routine can cause increased corticosterone levels in laboratory mice and rats. Corticosterone is also administered to treat inflammation because like many other steroids, it is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent.
Assay Principle
This corticosterone ELISA is for the quantitative analysis of Corticosterone levels in biological fluid. This test kit operates on the basis of competition between the hormone conjugate and the Corticosterone in the sample for a limited number of binding sites on the antibody coated plate.
The sample or standard solution is first added to the microplate. Next, the diluted hormone conjugate is added and the mixture is shaken and incubated at room temperature for one hour. During the incubation, competition for binding sites is taking place. The plate is then washed removing all the unbound material. The bound hormone conjugate is detected by the addition of substrate which generates an optimal color after 30 minutes. Quantitative test results may be obtained by measuring and comparing the absorbance reading of the wells of the samples against the standards with a microplate reader at 450nm or 650nm. The extent of color development is inversely proportional to the amount of Corticosterone in the sample or standard. For example, the absence of Corticosterone in the sample will result in a bright blue color, whereas the presence of Corticosterone will result in decreased or no color development.
If using urine as a sample it is recommended to run our
Creatinine Assay kit (CR01)
in conjunction with your samples since urinary creatinine levels may be used to normalize the rate of excretion of other analytes.
