Exocrine pancreatic function as determined in a same-day test with use of bentiromide and p-aminosalicylic acid

We describe a new approach to the bentiromide test of exocrine pancreatic function, p-Aminosalicylic acid (PAS), a compound closely related to the bentiromide fragment p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), is used as a marker of the pharmacokinetic behavior of PABA to derive a PABA excretion index. This index is identical to that derived with [14C]-PABA. Concentrations of both PABA and PAS are measured in urine by "high-performance" liquid chromatography, which avoids the drug interferences encountered with established assays of PABA. We discuss the practical and diagnostic advantages of this new approach to the bentiromide test.