Determination of platinum in biological material by differential pulse polarography: Analysis in urine, plasma and tissue following sample combustion

Abstract

A method is described for determining total platinum content in urine, blood plasma and tissues of patients or experimental animals receiving cis-dichlorodiamineplatinum(II). The method is based on drying and combustion of the biological material in a muffle furnace. The product of the combustion is dissolved successively in aqua regia, hydrochloric acid and ethylenediamine. The resulting platinum-ethylenediamine complex yields a catalytic current at a dropping mercury electrode allowing to determine platinum by differential pulse polarography. Platinum levels of c. 50-1 000 ng per ml of the biological fluid or per 0.5 g of a tissue can readily be analyzed with a linear calibration.