| Summary: | Background: Insulin is an important hormone for glucose homeostasis. It is released from β-cells in the endocrine pancreas as a response to increased concentrations of plasma glucose. The major effect of insulin is the facilitation of cellular uptake and storage of glucose as glycogen. Insulinomas are tumours that produce excessive amounts of insulin resulting in hypoglycaemia. The condition has been observed in dogs and cats and is often malignant. One part of establishing the diagnosis is confirmation of elevated concentrations of insulin in a hypoglycaemic sample. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate if an equine-optimized insulin ELISA (Mercodia AB, Uppsala, Sweden) is useful for analysis of insulin in canine and feline serum samples when insulinoma is suspected. Material and methods: All samples were analysed with Equine insulin ELISA. Precision, linearity and effects of haemolysis were studied. The stability of insulin was evaluated after storage in 4°C, room temperature and after repeated freezing and thawing. A reference interval was constructed for both canine and feline samples. Results: Total precision expressed as CV was 4.4 – 18.9 %. The method was linear up to at least 100 mU/L for dogs and 15 mU/L for cats. Reference interval for cats was <11.6 mU/L, due to few healthy animals no reference interval for dogs could be established. Stability was acceptable for up to four days. No effects of haemolysis were detected. Conclusion: Mercodia Equine insulin ELISA is suitable for analysis of insulin in serum from dogs and cats when suspecting insulinoma.
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