Determination of Urinary Testosterone by Chromatography and Colorimetry: Findings in Normal Subjects and in Patients with Endocrine Diseases1

Abstract

In this method for measuring conjugated urinary testosterone, testosterone-4-C14 is added to an aliquot of urine to correct for subsequent losses and an ethyl ether extract is then chromatographed in 2 Zaffaroni systems prior to chromic oxide oxidation of testosterone to ,[DELTA]4-androstene-3,17-dione. A 3rd Zaffaroni system confirms the completion of oxidation and purifies the steroid before a final 4th chromatography in a Bush system. Quantitation is carried out by a modified micro Zimmermann reaction. Values of testosterone glucuronide in 24-hr specimens (mean[plus or minus]SE) were found to be 19 [plus or minus] 3 [mu]g in 20 normal women aged 20-40; 88 [plus or minus] 7 [mu]g in 20 normal men aged 30-40; 151 [plus or minus] 22 [mu]g in 5 young normal men aged 17-24; and 6 [plus or minus]3 [mu]g in 5 boys aged 7-12. A satisfactory correlation between the level of testosterone glucuronide and the degree of androgenicity in various pathologic states studied was observed.