Determination of 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol and 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta,17 beta-diol in human plasma by selected ion monitoring.

5 alpha-Androstane-3 alpha,17 beta-diol (3 alpha-diol) and 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta,17 beta-diol (3 beta-diol) were measured in human peripheral plasma by gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring as their t-butyl dimethylsilyl ethers. The purification of the plasma extract involved a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge and high-performance liquid chromatography. The concentrations (mean +/- SD) of the two diols in four normal males are: 213 +/- 111 pg/ml for the 3 alpha-diol and 246 +/- 133 pg/ml for the 3 beta-diol.