C. Ruthven, M. Sandler
Oct 1, 1966
Citations
1
Influential Citations
21
Citations
Journal
Clinica chimica acta; international journal of clinical chemistry
Abstract
Abstract Using equipment readily available to most clinical laboratories, a relatively simple procedure is described for the assay of homovanillic acid, the major metabolite of dopamine production in the body. Homovanillic acid is extracted from urine with dichloromethane from which it is removed by passage through a column of silica gel. The adsorbed acid is eluted from the column and extracted into alkali where it is converted to vanillin by auto-claving with copper and silica gel. Vanillin is measured spectrophotometrically. The method, whose value in the diagnosis of dopamine-secreting tumours is demonstrated, is sufficiently accurate and specific to detect small changes in output at the excretion levels found in normal adults (5.35 ± 1.1 mg (S.D.) per 24 h).