title: Amphetamine in human plasma: a sensitive and specific enzymatic assay.
abstract: A sensitive and specific enzymatic-isotopic method of determining plasma amphetamine concentrations in man is described. The assay is based on the transfer of the tritiated methyl group of S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-(3)H]methionine to amphetamine in the presence of a partially purified N-methyltransferase from rabbit lung. With this assay as little as 10 nanograms of amphetamine per milliliter of plasma can be accurately determined. The concentrations of d- and 1-amphetamine in the plasma after 20 to 30 milligrams of the drug had been ingested by human subjects are reported.
mesh_terms: D000661:Amphetamine / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000201:enzymology; D008722:Methods; D008745:Methylation; D008780:Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011817:Rabbits; D012436:S-Adenosylmethionine; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D014316:Tritium; D012436:S-Adenosylmethionine; D000661:Amphetamine; D008780:Methyltransferases