COMPARISON OF THREE TECHNIQUES FOR THE FLUORIMETRIC DETERMINATION OF PLASMA CORTICOSTEROIDS

Abstract

SUMMARY The previously reported method (De Moor, Steeno, Raskin, Hendrikx & De Tremerie, 1959) for the fluorimetric determination of plasma corticosteroids (cortisol plus corticosterone) has been further simplified and compared with two more elaborate methods intended to determine cortisol more specifically (Van der Vies, 1961; Braunsberg & James, 1962). For normal subjects there is a good relation between results obtained by the simplest method and those obtained by the two others. On the other hand, the latter two techniques give less specific fluorescence and higher reagent blanks. The background fluorescence of the simplified assay has been further studied and was found to lie between 1 and 1·5 μg./100 ml.