Determination of glycated proteins in biological samples based on colorimetry of 2-keto-glucose released with hydrazine.

We developed a novel method for measuring glycated (glc) proteins in biological samples, based on the colorimetry of 2-keto-glucose which is released from the glc protein (ketoamine) on heating with hydrazine. The ketoamine-induced coloration remained constant at room temperature (25-27 degrees C) for 1 h. The method gave reliable precision and accuracy. However, high concentrations of serum pigments caused positive interference, suggesting that hemolytic or hyperbilirubinemic serum would give false-positive results. The concentration of glc protein in clinical serum samples measured by the present method (y) correlated well with those (fructosamine values, x) measured by the nitroblue tetrazolium-reducing method: y = 1.27x-1.69 (r = 0.92, n = 93). The concentrations (microM, mean +/- S.D.) of glc protein in sera from normal and diabetic subjects were 275 +/- 37 (n = 32) and 403 +/- 98 (n = 32), respectively, and the concentrations (nmol/mg hair, mean +/- S.D.) of glc protein in back hairs from non-diabetic and diabetic rats were 3.7 +/- 0.3 (n = 10) and 8.6 +/- 1.5 (n = 10), respectively. Thus, the technique gave reasonable concentrations of glc proteins in humans and rats with diabetes mellitus, indicating it to be reliable and diagnostically useful.