title: Direct injection method for quantitation of delta-aminolevulinic acid in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography.
abstract: A highly sensitive and simple method for determining delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) in urine was established, using direct injection of urine into a high-performance liquid chromatographic column, with fluorometric detection after post-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA). The recovery of ALA was about 100% and ALA was completely separated on an ion exchange column (retention time, 38 min). The detection limit for ALA was 10 pmol (S/N = 2). The mean levels of urinary ALA of 10 healthy volunteers, 4 patients with acute intermittent porphyria, and 2 workers occupationally exposed to lead were 0.76, 5.25, and 23.54 mg/l, respectively. Because of its simplicity, the method is considered to be suitable for routine analysis of urinary ALA in the clinical laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Biochemistry, Institute of Public Health, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maekubo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senda
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Urata
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kajiwara
mesh_terms: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid