Amino Acids in Other Body Fluids

Amino acids in milk have been separated by Bujard and Mauron [17] on a cellulose MN-300 layer. According to Keller and Pataki [91], 24 amino acids can be detected in sperm fluid. Since human ejaculate contains several proteolytic enzymes, the authors have drawn conclusions about the individual proteolytic activities from this result. Mouhg-RABI [109a] reports the separation of amino acids from the perilymph of the inner ear, using ion exchange TLC with gradient elution. 

Triiodothyronine and thyroxine are the physiologically active hormones of the thyroid gland. Tyrosine is the starting material for their synthesis. Gries and co-workers [62] have chromatographed thyroid-active iodoamino acids on cellulose G layers and obtained good separations of DL-thyroxine, DL-truodothyroxine, DL-diiodothyronine, dl-monoiodothyronine, diiodotyrosine and monoiodotyrosine. 

West et al. [188] have used TLC to determine the thyroxine level in human serum. For 43 persons with normal thyroid function they found an average of 5.4 jxg thyroxine per 100 ml serum with a normal range from 3.2 to 7.9 jxg per 100 ml. Altogether 339 patients were examined. ScHOBN and Winkler [148] have reported the radiochromatographic determination of labelled tri- and tetraiodothyronine in the serum of a patient who had been dosed with carrier-free Na I for therapy of hyperthyroidism (Fig. 172). This separation is important because triiodothyronine is about four times as active as tetraiodothyronine. Determination of total hormone iodine in serum with the usual methods does not reveal any pathologically modified ratio of tri- to tetraiodothyronine. 

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