Comparison of two methods for measurement of equine insulin.
Abstract: Diagnosis of equine hyperinsulinemia requires an accurate method for quantification of equine insulin concentrations. The objectives of the current study were to compare 2 commercially available techniques for measurement of equine insulin, the radioimmunoassay (RIA) and chemiluminescent immunoassay (CIA). Recovery was poor for both assays, but worse for the CIA. Serial dilution of a high endogenous insulin sample yielded better linearity for the RIA ( r = 0.99, P < 0.001) than the CIA ( r = 0.92, P = 0.009). Bland-Altman analysis indicated that the CIA was, on average, 91 pmol/l higher than the RIA, with wide limits of agreement (95% limits of agreement: -508 to 691 pmol/l). These findings suggest that results between the assays should not be considered interchangeable.
Publication Date: 2014-06-15 PubMed ID: 24928598DOI: 10.1177/1040638714536560Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Validation Study
- Analytical Methods
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Study
- Comparative Study
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Endocrine System
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Immunoassay
- In Vitro Research
- Insulin
- Laboratory Methods
- Metabolic Health
- Physiology
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
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The research compares two methods for measuring insulin levels in horses, radioimmunoassay (RIA) and chemiluminescent immunoassay (CIA), determining that the results from these two techniques cannot be used interchangeably.
Objective and Methodology
- The study aims to establish reliability and accuracy in the diagnosis of hyperinsulinemia, a condition characterized by high insulin levels, in horses.
- The two methods evaluated in the study are the radioimmunoassay (RIA) and chemiluminescent immunoassay (CIA), both of which are well-established ways to measure insulin concentrations.
Results and Analysis
- The recovery of insulin measurements was found to be poor for both methods, but particularly worse for the CIA method.
- When a high concentration insulin sample was serially diluted, the RIA method showed better linearity with an r-value (a measure of correlation) of 0.99, whereas the CIA method had a lower value of 0.92.
- The Bland-Altman analysis, which is taking the average of measurements by two methods and analyzing their differences, revealed that the readings of the CIA method were on an average 91 pmol/l higher than the RIA method. The analysis also showed a wide limit of agreement ranging from -508 pmol/l to 691 pmol/l.
Conclusion
- Based on the findings, the research suggests that the results of the RIA and CIA methods for detecting equine insulin levels cannot be used interchangeably due to the considerable discrepancy in the readings. This is mainly due to differences in sensitivity, specificity, and the way these two assays detect and measure insulin.
Cite This Article
APA
Banse HE, McCann J, Yang F, Wagg C, McFarlane D.
(2014).
Comparison of two methods for measurement of equine insulin.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 26(4), 527-530.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1040638714536560 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK (Banse, McCann, Yang, McFarlane).
- Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Wagg).
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK (Banse, McCann, Yang, McFarlane).
- Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Wagg).
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK (Banse, McCann, Yang, McFarlane).
- Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Wagg).
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK (Banse, McCann, Yang, McFarlane).
- Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Wagg).
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK (Banse, McCann, Yang, McFarlane).
- Department of Veterinary Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Wagg).
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horses / metabolism
- Insulin / metabolism
- Luminescent Measurements / methods
- Luminescent Measurements / veterinary
- Radioimmunoassay / methods
- Radioimmunoassay / veterinary
- Reproducibility of Results
- Sensitivity and Specificity
Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Delarocque J, Feige K, Carslake HB, Durham AE, Fey K, Warnken T. Development of a Web App to Convert Blood Insulin Concentrations among Various Immunoassays Used in Horses. Animals (Basel) 2023 Aug 24;13(17).
- Go YY, Hazard NW, Balasuriya UBR, Chapman AM, Fitton NS, Kenéz Á, Andrews FM. Clinical evaluation of the Immulite® 1000 chemiluminescent immunoassay for measurement of equine serum insulin. Front Vet Sci 2023;10:1018230.
- Williams NJ, Furr M, Navas de Solis C, Campolo A, Davis M, Lacombe VA. Investigating the Relationship Between Cardiac Function and Insulin Sensitivity in Horses: A Pilot Study. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:899951.
- Kinsella HM, Hostnik LD, Snyder HA, Mazur SE, Kamr AM, Burns TA, Mossbarger JC, Toribio RE. Comparison of insulin sensitivity between healthy neonatal foals and horses using minimal model analysis. PLoS One 2022;17(1):e0262584.
- Meier A, de Laat M, Reiche D, Fitzgerald D, Sillence M. The efficacy and safety of velagliflozin over 16 weeks as a treatment for insulin dysregulation in ponies. BMC Vet Res 2019 Feb 26;15(1):65.
- Durham AE, Frank N, McGowan CM, Menzies-Gow NJ, Roelfsema E, Vervuert I, Feige K, Fey K. ECEIM consensus statement on equine metabolic syndrome. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Mar;33(2):335-349.
- Carslake HB, Pinchbeck GL, McGowan CM. Evaluation of a Chemiluminescent Immunoassay for Measurement of Equine Insulin. J Vet Intern Med 2017 Mar;31(2):568-574.
- Warnken T, Huber K, Feige K. Comparison of three different methods for the quantification of equine insulin. BMC Vet Res 2016 Sep 9;12(1):196.
- Espinosa-López EM, Ortiz-Guisado B, Diez de Castro E, Durham A, Aguilera-Tejero E, Gómez-Baena G. Quantitative proteomics unveils potential plasma biomarkers and provides insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying equine metabolic syndrome. BMC Vet Res 2025 Jul 2;21(1):425.
- Nolen-Walston RD, Kulp JC, Stefanovski D, van Eps AW. Evaluation of an Automated Fluorescence Enzyme Immunoassay for Quantification of Equine Insulin and Comparison to Five Other Immunoassays. J Vet Intern Med 2025 Mar-Apr;39(2):e70038.
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