New method for liquid-chromatographic measurement of erythrocyte protoporphyrin and coproporphyrin

We describe a "high-pressure" liquid-chromatographic method for separating all the porphyrins in the heme biosynthetic pathway. The preliminary extraction and purification method is such that only erythrocyte porphyrins with fewer than five carboxyl groups, which includes protoporphyrin and the much smaller amount of coproporphyrin present, are measured. The porphyrins extracted from erythrocytes are chromatographically separated by use of a simple eluent system and fluorometrically detected.