Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports

FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute


Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-66/06

Title and Subtitle: Fatigue and stress studies: An improved semiautomated procedure for fluorometric determination of plasma catecholamines.

Report Date: April 1966

Authors: Fiorica V.

Abstract: A semiautomated technique is described for the estimation of total catecholamines in plasma by the trihydroxyindole procedure. The method utilizes conventional alumina-column chromatography for isolation of the amines. Catecholamine oxidation, tautomerization, and fluorescence detection are accomplished by an automated chemical system.

Recoveries from plasma of 0.01 and 0.02 micrograms total catecholamines/10-ml sample were 86.4% plus or minus 8.9% (SD) and 85.6% plus or minus 5.8% (SD), respectively. Total catecholamine level in resting human plasma, determined by the present technique, was 0.89 plus or minus 0.15 (SD) micrograms/l.

Key Words: amines, stress (physiology), blood chemistry, amines, adrenal medulla hormones, norepinephrine, fluorescence, automation, fatigue (physiology).

No. of Pages: 12

Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012