Isolation and characterization of zinc coproporphyrin I: A major fluorescent component in meconium

Abstract

We isolated a substance from an organic extract of meconium (in neutral pH) that exhibited a porphyrin-like fluorescence peak at 580 nm on excitation at 405 nm and deduced its structure. Spectrometric data suggest that the substance is not free coproporphyrin I or free coproporphyrin III, but is a chelate of coproporphyrin I with Zn2+. We also detected a chelate of coproporphyrin III with Zn2+ by HPLC. These substances may be useful as new indicators of the presence of meconium.