Background: The measurement of TSH receptor (TSHR) antibodies is warranted for diagnosis of Graves’ disease (GD). Objective: The performance, detection sensitivity, and specificity of 6 TSHR immunoassays were compared. Methods: Two bioassays and 4 binding assays (Kronus, Immulite, Kryptor, Dynex) were compared in a dilution study performed in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. Both bioassays were compared to 2 binding assays using stimulatory (M22) and blocking (K1–70) monoclonal antibody (MAb) mixtures. Results: Thirty samples from stimulatory (TSAb)-positive/blocking (TBAb)-negative patients with GD were diluted serially and measured in all assays. Samples were positive until dilution 1:2,187 in the TSAb bioassay, 1:81 in the Immulite (p < 0.002 vs. bioassay) and Kronus ELISA (p = 0.039) assays, and 1:27 in the Kryptor and Dynex ELISA (p < 0.001 vs. bioassay). Ten samples from TBAb-positive/TSAb-negative patients with GD or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis were positive in all binding assays. None of the binding assays differentiated between TSAb and TBAb. Mixtures of 100% K1–70 (200 ng/mL), 80% K1–70 + 20% M22, 60% K1–70 + 40% M22, 40% K1–70 + 60% M22, 20% K1–70 + 80% M22, and 100% M22 (20 ng/mL) tested positive in both Immulite (26.4, 20.2, 15.2, 10.5, 6.3, 2.00 IU/L) and Kronus assays (27.1, 23.3, 19.3, 12.0, 5.7, 2.2 IU/L). These MAb mixtures were tested in the TBAb bioassay and showed 82, 61, 24 (negative), –26 (negative), –77 (negative), and –95% (negative) inhibition, respectively. Conclusions: The sample dilution study showed higher detection sensitivity for the TSAb bioassay, and the antibody mixture study demonstrated exclusive specificity of the bioassays over all automated and ELISA binding assays.

Keywords:
Thyroid-binding inhibitory immunoglobulins, TSH receptor stimulating antibodies, TSH receptor blocking antibodies, Bioassays, Binding assays, Specificity
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2017
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