Quantitative Determination of Ergothioneine in Plasma and Tissues by TLC-Densitometry

Abstract

A rapid and reliable thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) method for the quantitative analysis of ergothioneine in plasma and in various organs is presented. After extraction from biological materials with acetone/methanol (1:1), ergothioneine was separated by TLC and the spot corresponding to the compound with Rf 0.29 was quantified by scanning with a densitometer at 256 nm. The sensitivity of the assay was 0.05 µg/20 µl of liver extract. This procedure should be useful in pharmacokinetic studies of ergothioneine in relation to its physiological role. © 1980, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.