The Analysis of Plasma Progestins by Gas Chromatography

Abstract

The use of GLC as an analytical technique for the identification and quantitation of progestational steroidal hormones has liminations, but nonetheless, is a most useful analytical procedure. Some progestins, such as 17α-hydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione become rather intimately associated with the column constituents and consequently are poor candidates for GLC analysis. However, even though the progestins in question can be adequately characterized and quantified by GLC, other considerations, such as sample preparation and the variability of measurement, as a result of sample preparation, must be made. Considerable evidence exists to indicate the necessity for preliminary chromatographic separation of progestins from contaminating substances found in whole blood or serum samples, prior to GLC analysis. Realizing the importance of these considerations, we have developed a method that has allowed us to analyze the progestin content of ovarian venous blood and systemic blood of the laboratory rat.

This study was supported by Grants A-5068 and 5-1AM-5240 of the National Institutes of Health, and by the Ford Foundation.