Clinical Chemistry Link to Randox Laboratories Web Site
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Clinical Chemistry 27: 410-416, 1981;
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an electronic Letter to
the Editor about this paper
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by McDonald, L. J.
Right arrow Articles by Siegel, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by McDonald, L. J.
Right arrow Articles by Siegel, L.

Clinical Chemistry, Vol 27, 410-416, Copyright © 1981 by American Association for Clinical Chemistry

New method for determining lecithin and sphingomyelin in amniotic fluid

LJ McDonald, NI Robin and L Siegel

We describe a new method of complete analysis for lecithin, lysolecithin, and sphingomyelin in amniotic fluid. The analysis is based on alkaline hydrolysis of the lecithins and the enzymic hydrolysis of sphingomyelin. The choline formed in each instance is enzymically phosphorylated with [gamma-32P]ATP to yield [gamma- 32P]phosphorylcholine, which is isolated by anion-exchange chromatography and shown to be stoichiometrically related to lecithin, lysolecithin, and sphingomyelin. Other phospholipids do not interfere. Using this methodology, we developed three potential approaches to the assessment of fetal lung maturity: the ratio of lecithin plus lysolecithin (total lecithin) to sphingomyelin, the total lecithin concentration, and total lecithin as a percentage of total amniotic fluid phospholipids. All three indices were compared with the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio obtained by a chromatographic procedure. Our data suggest that measuring the percentage of total lecithin may provide the best means of evaluating fetal lung maturity, but a final judgment must await clinical investigation.




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1981 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.