Clinical Chemistry, Vol 29, 1513-1517, Copyright © 1983 by American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Enzymatic colorimetry of lecithin and sphingomyelin in aqueous solution

MW McGowan, JD Artiss and B Zak

A procedure for the enzymatic determination of lecithin and sphingomyelin in aqueous solution is described. The phospholipids are first dissolved in chloroform:methanol (2:1 by vol), the solvent is evaporated, and the residue is redissolved in an aqueous zwitterionic detergent solution. The enzymatic reaction sequences of both assays involve hydrolysis of the phospholipids to produce choline, which is then oxidized to betaine, thus generating hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide is subsequently utilized in the enzymatic coupling of 4-aminoantipyrine and sodium 2-hydroxy-3,5-dichlorobenzenesulfonate, an intensely red color being formed. The presence of a non-reacting phospholipid enhances the hydrolysis of the reacting phospholipid. Thus we added lecithin to the sphingomyelin standards and sphingomyelin to the lecithin standards. This precise procedure may be applicable to determination of lecithin and sphingomyelin in amniotic fluid.