The determination of sulfhydryl groups in serum. I. Methods and results on normal sera.

Compounds containing sulfhydryl groups have occupied a unique position in metabolic and chemical studies because of their intimate association with the problems of protein structure (l), enzyme function (2), and cellular proliferation (3). Kolthoff and Harris (4) described an amperometric method for the determination of mercaptans which Benesch and Benesch adapted for use with amino acids and proteins (5). We have employed this method to investigate the sulfhydryl content of normal human serum, serum albumin, and serum globulin. The details of the methods and results obtained on sera secured from normal individuals are presented at this time.