title: Analytical validity of electrochemical determination of lecithin for establishing foetal lung maturity in normal and complicated pregnancies.
abstract: An electrochemical assay of lecithin for the prediction of foetal lung maturity in normal and complicated pregnancies has been analytically evaluated. The method is based on sequential enzymatic reactions causing the stoichiometric transformation of lecithin to hydrogen peroxide, which reacts with an organo-fluoro compound in the presence of peroxidase. The rupture of the C-F bond releases fluoride ions, that are detected by a selective electrode. The correlation between the lecithin concentration in amniotic fluid, measured electrochemically, and the fluorescence polarization (FP) value, chosen as reference method, was determined. Correlation studies were performed on rat amniotic fluids, on 67 samples from human normal pregnancies, and on seven samples from complicated pregnancies. The relationships between the FP value and the lecithin concentration were linear, and the correlation coefficients were 0.987 for rat and 0.884 for human amniotic fluids. Concordance was good for predicting foetal lung maturity in complicated pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Enzyme Research, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Diomede
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agosti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salmona
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D004563:Electrochemistry; D005260:Female; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity; D005454:Fluorescence Polarization; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology*; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D010713:Phosphatidylcholines