A METHOD FOR THE ESTIMATION OF ADRENALINE AND NORADRENALINE IN URINE.

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Abstract
A method for the estimation of sympathin (adrenaline plus noradrenaline) in urine is described. The catecholamines are adsorbed on a cation exchange resin, Amberlite IRC-50, and eluted with acid. The sympathin in the eluate is estimated by a fluorimetric method, in which adrenaline and noradrenaline yield the same intensity of fluorescence so that sympathin estimates are uninfluenced by the proportions of the two amines. Estimates of the adrenaline and noradrenaline are obtained after separation of the amines in the urine extract by paper chromatography. A mean recovery of 82 per cent (±6 per cent S.D. (51)) was obtained when adrenaline or noradrenaline (2–5000 μg.) was added to a urine sample analysed for sympathin content. Estimation of the separated amines from mixtures of adrenaline or noradrenaline (2–15 μg. of either amine) showed a mean recovery of 51 per cent (±9 per cent S.D. (10)). Experimental evidence is presented of the validity of applying appropriate correction factors to analytical results, the correction factors being determined by recovery experiments run concurrently with each series of estimations. The specificity of the method is discussed briefly.