Abstract

The great interest shown in pregnanediol assays is based upon a proof of relationship between pregnanediol and the corpus luteum hormone —progesterone (Marrian 1949). The methods for assaying pregnanediol in urine are: Firstly the method of Venning (1937, 1938) in which the sodium pregnanediol glucuronidate (NaPG) of the urine is assayed gravimetrically; and secondly the hydrolysis of the pregnanediol conjugate and the assay of the pregnanediol (Astwood and Jones, 1941; Talbot et al., 1941). In 1948 Sommerville, Gough, and Marrian modified the test in order to obtain a sensitivity of 2.5 mg./day. This paper introduces the hydrolysis of urines by calf spleen glucuronidase. This method has been found to give excellent results for assaying less than 0.50 mg. pregnanediol/24 hrs

MATERIALS

All chemical reagents were chemically pure. The toluol was redistilled. The sodium pregnanediol glucuronidate was freed of sodium pregnaneolone glucuronidate by the procedure of Sutherland and Marrian (1947).

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