Screening radioimmunoassay for aldosterone in preheated plasma without extraction and chromatography.

We directly estimated plasma aldosterone radioimmunologically with use of an antiserum raised against an aldosterone-3-oxime/bovine serum albumin conjugate, the estimation being on samples with and without heating (60 degrees C), and diluted and undiluted. Values so obtained were compared with those by radioimmunoassay after extraction and chromatography. The correlation--even negative values were obtained--was poorest when the steroid was directly estimated in nonheated, undiluted plasma. Correlations were best (r = 0.918) for preheated and diluted native plasma, and the interassay CV was 9.8% (n = 57). However, there were some extraordinarily high values. After equilibrium dialysis of native and preheated (60 degrees C) plasma (15 plasma samples), the percentages of apparent free aldosterone and cortisol increased from 51.4 +/- 2.6% (SEM) to 64.3 +/- 1.6% and from 11.5 +/- 2.2% to 61.1 +/- 1%, respectively. We conclude that aldosterone-binding proteins play a role in direct radioimmunoassays of aldosterone in plasma, but by heating (with or without diluting) the plasma, direct assay can be used as a simple, fast, and inexpensive screening method.