Porphyrins in Urine - HPLC

Clinical relevance

This assay allows the quantitative determination of uroporphyrin, heptacarboxyporphyrin, hexacarboxyporphyrin, pentacarboxyporphyrin, coproporphyrin I and coproporphyrin III in human urine samples.
The kit is intended to be used for patients in whom the urinary levels of uroporphyrin, heptacarboxyporphyrin, hexacarboxyporphyrin, pentacarboxyporphyrin, coproporphyrin I and coproporphyrin III are of clinical importance, primarily as an aid to diagnosis of suspected acute intermittent porphyria, porphyria variegata, aminolevulinic acid dehydratase deficiency porphyria, hereditary coproporphyria, porphyria cutanea tarda or congenital erythropoietic porphyria and/or for their differential diagnosis.
The kit is also intended to be used as an aid to diagnosis of lead poisoning in patients in whom the urinary levels of above listed analytes are of clinical importance after suspected lead exposure (lead itself cannot be detected with this kit).
Besides, the kit is also intended to be used as an aid to diagnosis of the Dubin-Johnson syndrome in patients in whom the urinary levels of coproporphyrin I and coproporphyrin III are of clinical interest.

Product advantages

• Easy sample preparation
• Stable standards and controls

Assay characteristics

Sample preparation consists of sample stabilisation, addition of the internal standard followed by centrifugation to separate particles that may be present in the urine. An oxidation step is not necessary as the porphyrinogens oxidise spontaneously by air into the fluorescent porphyrins. The internal standard elutes between the analytes thus avoiding analytical variation and inaccuracy as well as allowing a shortening of the chromatographic run time.

Detailed performance evaluation data for this assay can be found in Appendices II and III of the instruction manual.