An improved gas-liquid chromatographic method for the determination of fecal neutral sterols.

The analysis of fecal neutral sterols has been improved by use of a highly selective gas-liquid chromatography column packed with SP-2401. This chromatographic column allows separation of cholesterol and cholestanol and delta 5-5 alpha plant sterol homologs without employing silver nitrate thin-layer chromatography. Furthermore, there is no need to derivatize neutral sterols before injection. The main fecal neutral sterols are well resolved; retention times are reproducible; detector response is reproducible, linear, and sensitive to 0.2 micrograms. This method, successfully used for fecal samples, may be suggested as a routine method for the clinical study of cholesterol metabolism.