Determination of Plasma Glutamine by High-Voltage Paper Electrophoresis

Abstract

The relationship of glutamine (a component of the gluten found in wheat and other cereal products) to the development of celiac disease has stimulated efforts to develop methods for the determination of glutamine in the plasma for employment in a glutamine-tolerance test. Previously available methods for the determination of glutamine have been laborious and unsuitable for general use. The present authors have developed a new method for determining glutamine in the plasma which involves the separation of amino acids by high-voltage paper electrophoresis. The authors believe their method to be more convenient and to be sufficiently accurate for clinical purposes, and therefore of interest to those who wish to pursue the study of celiac disease in relation to the metabolism of glutamine.