Assay of urinary 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid: two methodologies compared

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Biochemical Analysis

Background:

• Udenfriend's method for urinary 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA) is a classical screening technique.
• This method is susceptible to inaccuracies caused by dietary components and medications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a modified Goldenberg method for 5-HIAA analysis.
• To compare the modified Goldenberg method with high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Main Methods:

• Utilized a modified Goldenberg assay for 5-HIAA quantification.
• Correlated results with a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.

Main Results:

• The modified Goldenberg method demonstrated good correlation with HPLC.
• Agreement was observed within the 0-100 mumol/24 h range for 5-HIAA.

Conclusions:

• The modified Goldenberg method provides a more specific and sensitive alternative to Udenfriend's assay.
• Elevated 5-HIAA values from screening can be reliably confirmed using the modified Goldenberg or HPLC methods.