SPECTROFLUOROMETRIC ULTRAMICROASSAY FOR DETERMINING THE PLASMA-LIPID PEROXIDATION INDEX BY THE THIOBARBITURIC ACID TEST

A simple, inexpensive spectrofluorometric ultramicroassay for determining the plasma lipid peroxidation index is described. Plasma is incubated for 60 minutes at 95-degrees-C in a thiobarbituric acetate buffer medium (pH 3,5) with butylhydroxytoluene and Fe+++. The chromogen is then extracted in butanol 1-pyridine and quantified by spectrofluorometry (exc.:532 nm; em:553 nm). The mean value of the plasma thiobarbituric lipid peroxidation index determined by this method in 101 healthy non-smokers (age 39.1 +/- 8.7 years) was found to be 1.61 +/- 0.72.