On the occurrence of adrenaline and noradrenaline in blood

Abstract

Methods are described for extraction and fractionation of epinephrine (ep.) and norepinephrine (norep.) from plasma and erythrocytes. It was shown, using 2 different solvent systems, that the blood constituents estimated by the fluorimetric method of Weil-Malherbe and Bone (1952, 1953) are concentrated on paper chromatograms in positions corresponding to the RF values ep. and norep. The fraction migrating with the RF value of norep. yields a derivative the fluorescence of which has the same spectral properties as the derivative of norep. The same correlation exists between ep. and the fraction having the RF value of ep. The quantity of the substances estimated as ep. and norep. by the routine procedure was compared with the quantity of the substances recovered in the ep. and norep. zones of the paper chromatogram. The proportion accounted for was similar to the recovery of added amines in model experiments. It is concluded that results are compatible with the identity of the blood constituents estimated with ep. and norep. No increase of ep. or norep. was found after partial hydrolysis of plasma by boiling in 2 [image] - HC1. This result does not support existence of a protein-bound fraction of ep. in plasma. Arteriovenous differences were determined in 6 human subjects. Arterial concentration of ep. was always higher than venous concentration. The norep. concentration was higher in arterial than in venous plasma in 3 cases; the reverse was found in the other 3 cases.