Macroprolactin Reactivities in Prolactin Assays: An Issue for Clinical Laboratories and Equipment Manufacturers

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Macroprolactin is a complex of prolactin with immunoglobulin (IgG) that in vivo appears to have limited or no biological activity, possibly because of the failure of the high-molecular weight complex to cross capillary walls (1). The predominant form of prolactin in serum in the general population is monomeric prolactin, but the prevalence of macroprolactin in serum is not known. However, when samples with increased prolactin are further investigated, it has been reported that up to 26% of these samples contain macroprolactin as the predominant form (2)(3). Immunoassays for prolactin have variable reactivity with macroprolactin; therefore, its presence should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hyperprolactinemia. This clinical problem is illustrated by the following two patients who were referred, from the same local hospital, to our endocrine center for the investigation of hyperprolactinemia.

This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit: