Biological Material ketosteroids

The possibility of preliminary isolation of substances under analysis in the form of hydrazones is frequently utilized in the determination of ketosteroids in complex mixtures such as biological materials. In this form they are even sometimes subjected directly to GC analysis. Charransol et al. [378] determined androstanediol and testosterone in urine. After hydrolysis the sample was extracted with methylene chloride, evaporated and treated with Girard T reagent. Free hydroxysteroids were extracted with diethyl ether and... 

The method was originally devised and is suitable for the determination of ketosteroids > 3-keto, 17-keto and 20-keto-steroids have been determined in mixtures. The methods were used for the analysis of biological material. Oppenauer oxidation with aluminium-ferfbutoxide of 3-hydroxy-A -steroids and cholesterol gives the corresponding ketones, and it is possible< > to devise methods even for these compounds. 

Several examples of the applications of polarography in these fields have been already mentioned in Chapters VI and VII, viz. determinations of benzene, toluene, naphthalene and phenols in the atmosphere, breath, blood or urine, of amino acids (with particular interest to tyrosine, tryptophane, phenylalanine, histidine and histamine), of ketoacids, ketosteroids, carbon disulphide in air and blood, ethanol, acetoin, sugars and morphine in blood, of lactic acid, mandelic acid in bile and urine, adrenaline and thyroxine in iodinated proteins and last, but not least, of thiol compounds, both soluble and bound in biological materials. A few further examples will be given here. 

Ketosteroids. Several methods for the determination of different steroid hormones in biological materials have been described. 

It is important to re-emphasize that the hydrazide reaction is not only nonspecific for ketosteroids but is not even specific for ketones. Aldehydes have more active carbonyl groups and react even more readily with the reagent. With every tissue it is important to demonstrate by other tests that the reactive material is lipid and that it is ketonic from chemical or from biological analyses it must be known that ketosteroids are present in such tissue. 

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