Isolation and quantification of serum uric acid by adsorption chromatography.

Established methods for determining the serum uric acid concentration are colorimetric, enzymatic, or combination of the two. An alternative method, based on the affinity of purines for polyacrylamide resin, has been developed. Uric acid, more strongly adsorbed than other major serum constituents, elutes later (with phosphate buffer, pH 7) from a poly. acrylamide column. The separated serum uric acid is measured by continuously monitoring the ultraviolet absorptivity of the column effluent. Uric acid is separated satisfactorily from its metabolites, a feature useful in studies of the metabolism of radiolabeled uric acid.