Determination of serum creatinine by reaction with methyl-3,5-dinitrobenzoate in Methyl Sulfoxide

Creatinine in serum is determined with a new reagent system consisting of methyl-3,5-dinitrobenzoate and tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide in 50% methyl sulfoxide. The method shows excellent correlation with manual and automated alkaline picrate procedures and has comparable sensitivity. The proposed method has advantages over the dinitrobenzoyl chloride assay system in terms of sensitivity, reagent stability and precision. The day-to-day coefficient of variation is 2.9-3.8%, while within day is 1.5-2.1%. The standard curve is linear beyond 20 mg/dl creatinine. Compared to the picrate method, the proposed assay is less than one half as susceptible to a combination of known interfering agents. Based on the present studies, it is recommended as an excellent alternative to the commonly used picrate procedures.