IDENTIFICATION OF FETAL LUNG MATURITY BY ONE-DIMENSIONAL THIN-LAYER CHROMATOGRAPHIC DETERMINATION OF SEVERAL PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN AMNIOTIC-FLUID

Optimized one-dimensional thin layer chromatography (TLC) on silica ge l plates with chloroform - methanol - ethanol - acetic acid - water (2 4 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 0.5, v/v) as mobile phase has been employed for the de termination of phospholipids in amniotic fluid. The developed plates w ere visualized by exposure to iodine vapor and the phospholipids of in terest quantified by in situ densitometry with a computer-controlled s canner in reflection/absorbance mode at lambda = 460 nm. The calibrati on curves, detection limits, and recoveries for four phospholipids, an d the repeatability and the reproducibility of the method have been in vestigated; the results obtained are tabulated in this report. The met hod is sensitive and specific, and has been clinically applied in the determination of fetal lung maturity. A novel criterion was proposed f or the identification and proved to be more reliable in clinical routi ne protection of the fetus from the pathogenesis of respiratory distre ss syndrome.