A sandwich transfer enzyme immunoassay for salmon calcitonin: determination of the bioavailability of intranasal salmon calcitonin in human.

A sandwich transfer enzyme immunoassay for salmon calcitonin (SCT) and its usability for the pharmacokinetic study are described. The assay procedure consisted of the reaction of SCT with 2,4-dinitrophenyl biotinyl anti-SCT IgG and anti-SCT Fab'-beta-galactosidase conjugate, trapping onto (anti-2,4-dinitrophenyl bovine serum albumin) IgG-coated polystyrene balls, eluting with epsilon N-2,4-dinitrophenyl-L-lysine and transferring to streptavidin-coated polystyrene balls and fluorometric detection of beta-D-galactosidase activity. The practical detection limit of SCT was 0.05 pg (15 amol)/50 microliters of sample and 1 pg/ml as the concentration. The application of this method has enabled us to directly estimate the bioavailability of SCT dosed intranasally at the therapeutic level (160 IU, 31 micrograms) for its anti-osteoporotic effect as compared to an intramuscular dose (10 IU, 1.9 micrograms). The pharmacokinetic parameters of the intranasal SCT (n = 6) thus estimated were as follows: the area under the blood concentration-time curve (AUC) 9400 +/- 5400 (SD) pg.h/ml, and the mean residence time (MRT) = 42 +/- 14 (SD) min, when the AUC for the intramuscular SCT (n = 3) = 5600 +/- 2000 (SD) pg.h/ml and the MRT = 39 +/- 19 (SD) min.