Marc Moutet

Characterization and rapid evaluation of electrochemically oxidizable components in normal and pathological urine

Abstract An electrochemical technique consisting in measuring the electrolytical current through a capillary graphite paste electrode impregnated with the urines to be studied and subject to a linear sweep of potential has been developed to characterize and quantify the electrochemically oxidizable compounds in urine. The curves obtained exhibit series of peaks more or less isolated and of various amplitudes in general proportional to concentrations. They show immediately and visually, without previous separation, the presence of urinary electroactive components such as uric acid, oxalic acid, xanthurenic acid, 5HIAA, VMA, HVA, tyrosine and tryptophan, at potentials characterizing each of them. Exploitation of this kind of rapid, low cost, polyvalent and automatizable analytical technique seems to be very valuable for the detection of diseases and for therapeutic follow-up. This analytical method was designed for medical consultants as well as for the therapeutic follow-up of patients suffering from leukaemia and subject to total body irradiation.