ClinicalUsefulnessof an EnzymaticDeterminationof Total Unnary Polyamines,Excluding

In one widely used enzymatic method for urinary polyamines, the total concentrations of four polyamines-putrescine, spermidine, spermine, and cadavenne-are determined. We report here a simple enzymatic method for measuring the total concentrations of unnary polyamines except cadaver-me. The coefficients of variation (CV) for within-run measure-ments by this method were 4.3 % (X = 17.2 pxnol/L) and 1.5 % (X = 66.5 /Lmol/L), between-run CVs were 4.8 % (X = 16.8.unol/L) and 1.8 %)? = 67.5.tmol/L). The central 95% normal reference interval was 12.3-29.1 moI/g creatinine for men and 14.1-36.8.unoI/g creatinine for women. In some cases, physiological variations in urinary polyamine excretion were large, mainly because of variations in cadavenne excretion, even in health. Pathological changes in polyamine production in the body may therefore be more easily show