A note on the rapid assay of 17-ketogenic steroids in urine.

The determination of urinary corticosteroids by their conversion to 17-ketosteroids (17-KS) on treatment of urine with sodium bismuthate has been recently reported (Norymberski, 1952; Norymberski, Stubbs, and West, 1953). The group of corticosteroids thus determined has been termed 17-ketogenic steroids (17-KGS). The interest in this method shown by colleagues from other laboratories prompts us to communicate a modification of the original procedure by which a considerable saving of time is achieved. The alteration of the technique consists in reacting the surplus bismuthate with sodium metabisulphite instead of removing it by centrifugation. This simple expedient dispenses with several operations and enables the oxidation, hydrolysis, and extraction of urine to be performed in one reaction vessel. As in the original method, the estimations are carried out with duplicate runs, but from each run only one sample is taken for the Zimmermann reaction. It is now possible for one person to perform in one day the combined estimation of 17-KS and 17-KGS on six urine specimens.