Rapid and specific isolation of radioactive glucose from biological samples

An easy, reliable, and specific ion-exchange method is presented for isolating glucose for specific radioactivity determinations from both blood plasma and buffered in vitro incubation media. The use of a glucose binding resin (borate-charged anion resin) combined speed of ion exchange with specificity of derivative formation. Glucose specific radioactivities, determined by ion exchange on protein-free filtrates of plasma containing [carbon-14] glucose, show excellent agreement with those from the popular glucose pentaacetate derivative method and are less variable. Carry-over of labeled acetate, propionate, lactate, glyoxylate, alanine, aspartate, or glutamate into the glucose fraction is less than .2%. Glycerol carryover is 1.2%. Glucose recovery is increased about three times that of the glucose pentaacetate derivative method and averaged 94% from plasma filtrates.