Quantitative high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of delta 4-3-ketosteroids in adrenocortical extracts.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the determination of seven steroids in adrenocortical extracts showing a delta 4-3-ketonic conjugated system. The seven steroids (cortisol, cortisone, 11-dehydrocorticosterone, corticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, aldosterone and 11-deoxycorticosterone) were separated with a chloroform-methanol gradient on a 5-micron silica column and with a water-acetonitrile gradient on a 10-micron RP-8 column. Effluents were monitored by UV absorption at 242 nm. Quantitative analysis was performed by comparing peak areas, which are proportional to the amounts of the individual substances (external standard method). The method is rapid, sensitive, easy to perform and reproducible.