Abstract
A method has been developed for the separation of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid from substances in urine and cerebrospinal fluid which interfere with its fluorometric determination. This involves the use of anion exchange column chromatography with elution of the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid by 3 mol/1 formic acid in 60% methanol. The indole acid is then assayed fluorometrically after reaction with
o-phtalaldehyde. Urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid values are reported for patients with stable cirrhosis and hepatic encephalopathy and compared with those found in control subjects without liver disease.
