[Determination of erythrocyte sorbitol]

An increase in the intra-cellular concentrations of sorbitol can be responsible, at least in part, for certain long term complications of diabetes. Since the erythrocyte concentration of this polyol is a good indicator of that of other cells, we propose a simple, rapid enzymatic assay technique for red blood cells. The results already obtained reveal a significant difference between the erythrocyte sorbitol concentration in non-diabetic subjects and that in diabetic patients.