Measurement of Cortisol in Human Serum by Isotope Dilution Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry and a Comparison through a Proficiency Testing

Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry using isotope dilution method has been established as a primary method for the measurement of cortisol in human serum. Verification of this method was accomplished by the participation in Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance-Metrology in Chemistry (CCQM) pilot study. Two levels of cortisol certified reference materials were prepared and certified by the established method. They were used as sample materials for the proficiency testing. The expanded uncertainty in the measurement of cortisol in human serum was approximately 1.2% at 95% confidence level. The results of the proficiency testing showed a good precision among the participants, but some bias to the certified values. This means that commercial field laboratories should keep traceability chain to SI unit through available reference measurement procedures and/or available reference materials.