Objectives: To develop an immunoassay for osteopontin (OPN), a secreted phosphoglycoprotein that is implicated in a number of human diseases, and establish basal plasma OPN levels in healthy women.
Design and methods: An antigen-capture ELISA was developed to quantity OPN in plasma using a combination of mouse monoclonal and rabbit polyclonal antibodies. Basal OPN levels were determined in blood plasma of 21 pre- and 14 postmenopausal women obtained at 7-day intervals over a 4-week period.
Results: A group of 35 healthy women had a median OPN level of 31 micrograms/L (range = 14-64 micrograms/L). Comparison between pre- and postmenopausal women showed that their 4-week average OPN levels did not differ significantly (p > 0.16, Mann-Whitney test), and that levels in each premenopausal individual remained constant during the menstrual cycle, unaffected by cyclical levels of leuteinizing hormone and progesterone.
Conclusion: Systematic quantification of plasma OPN can now be done by ELISA, which was used to establish basal plasma OPN levels in a group of healthy women. Levels in pre- and postmenopausal women appeared relatively stable over a 4-week period.