FLUOROMETRIC METHODS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF INTERMEDIATE METABOLITES (LACTATE, PYRUVATE, ALANINE BETA-HYDROXYBUTYRATE, GLYCEROL) USING A COBAS FARA CENTRIFUGAL ANALYZER

Intermediate products of the metabolism of glucose, fat and amino-acid are important in the evaluation of such metabolic disorders as diabet es mellitus, liver disease and metabolic acidosis. In the present stud y, methods for the measurement of intermediate metabolites (lactate, p yruvate, alanine, beta-hydroxybutyrate and glycerol) have been adapted to a fast centrifugal analyzer: the COBAS FARA. Correlation coefficie nts ranged from 0.90 to 0.99, compared to established manual spectroph otometric methods. Within-run coefficients of variation (CVs) ranged b etween 2.9 and 8.8% at low levels, between 1.5 and 5.7% at medium leve ls and between 1.2 and 5.6% at high levels. Between-run CVs were betwe en 4.0 and 15.0% at low levels, between 1.7 and 70% at medium levels a nd between 1.3 and 27% at high levels. These fluorimetric assays for t he determination of intermediate metabolites on COBAS FARA (Roche) hav e a good sensitivity and precision, are less costly than manual method s and can be used on a routine basis.