A Novel Liquid-Gel Chromatographic Method for Extraction of Unconjugated Steroids from Aqueous Solutions

Abstract

Unconjugated steroids of low and medium polarity can be essentially quantitatively extracted from aqueous solutions by rapid filtration through a small column of Lipidex 1000. Forty ml of urine can be extracted by a 4 ml column bed at a flow rate of 5 ml/ min. Less polar steroids (progesterone, testosterone) can be extracted directly, whereas 5% pentylamine has to be added to the aqueous solution to give a quantitative extraction of cortisol. The same method can be used for extraction of steroids in plasma. It is suggested that this method may be generally applicable to the extraction from biological fluids of compounds with a polarity similar to or lower than that of steroids.