Luminescenceimmunoassayforthein-vitro-diagnosticquantitativedeterminationofactivefreeprogesterone(afemalehormone)inhumansaliva.Measurementsobtainedbythisdevicemaybeusedinthediagnosisandtreatmentofdisordersoftheovariesandcanbeusedasanaidforconfirmationofovulation.

Progesterone,aC21-steroid,isafemalesexhormoneandaprecursorinthemetabolismofothersteroids.Progesteroneissynthesizedmainlyinthecorpusluteumoftheovaries,duringthemainpartofpregnancyintheplacentaandinverysmallamountsfortheproductionofothersteroidsintheadrenalcortexandinthetestes.Atthelatterlocationsprogesteroneisimportantforthesynthesisofaldosterone,cortisol,testosteroneand17-b-estrADIol.
Inthecirculationthemainpartofprogesteroneisboundtothecorticoidbindingglobulin(CBG,Transcortin),tothesexhormonebindingglobulin(SHBG)andtoalbumin.1–2%ofprogesteronecirculatesasafreehormoneinplasma.Onlythisportionrepresentstheactivepartintheendocrineregulation.Thefreehormoneisreleasedinequalamountsinsaliva.Anenzymaticmetabolizationofportionsofthishormoneinthesalivaglandsispresumed.
Progesteroneisoneimportanthormoneoftheendocrineregulationofthemenstrualcycle.Afterovulationprogesteroneissecretedbythecorpusluteumwhichdevelopsfromtheovulatedfollicleintheovaries.Theprogesteronelevelrisesinthe6th–8thdayafterovulationtoaplateau.TogetherwithestradiolitinhibitsthereleaseofLHandFSHinthepituitaryglandbyanegativefeedbackmechanism.Progesteroneissecretedintothecirculationinapulsatingway.Becauseofthelysisofthecorpusluteum,theprogesteroneleveldecreasesinthelast3daysofthecycletoapre-ovulatorylevel.
Inpregnancy,beginningatthe8thgestationweek,theplacentabecomesthemajorsourceofprogesteroneproductionduringthe2ndand3rdtrimester.
Thecourseofprogesteronelevelsinthecirculationisreflectedinitsconcentrationinsaliva.Themostimportanttaskofprogesteroneistopreparethegenitalorgansofthewomenforapotentialimplantationandtomaintainthepregnancy.Themaineffectsofprogesteronearetointroducethesecretoryphaseoftheendometrium,tosuppressthecontractionsoftheuterusandtostimulatethegrowthofmammarytissue,aswellasothereffectsonthemetabolismandtheendocrinesysteminwomen.
Regardingphysiology,themeasurementofprogesteroneinsalivaisusefulinmonitoringthemenstrualcycleinwomeninordertodeterminethetimeofovulationandtoassessthefunctionofthecorpusluteum,whichbecomesimportantintheearlystagesofpregnancy.Becausethefluctuationsoftheprogesteronelevelsdependsalsoonindividualsituations,itisveryconvenienttogetahormoneprofilebyrepeatedlycollectingsalivasamples.