[Radioenzymatic assay for catecholamines (author's transl)].

Catecholamines are neurotransmitters produced and secreted by the central and autonomic nervous systems. In addition to being neurotransmitters, amines produced mainly by the adrenal medulla also act as hormones. Fluorometric measurements of amines yield variable results because of the poor sensitivity of the techniques, and the low concentration of these amines in tissues and biological fluids. The lack of specific and sensitive analytical methods has been an obstacle to resolving the mechanism of action of these neurotransmitters and hormones. The possibility of achieving qualitative and quantitative determination of picomole or femtomole amounts of these amines is a major need. Recently, radioenzymatic procedures for catecholamine assay have been developed and there has been a significant improvement in both sensitivity and accuracy of catecholamine assays. In this article, details of these radioenzymatic assay methods are reviewed.