Differences Between the Enzymatic and O-Toluidine Methods of Blood Glucose Determination

Abstract

Glutathione inhibits glucose oxidase and thus reduces the amount of glucose determinable in whole blood and red cells. The degree of inhibition with different glutathione concentrations is shown.

Thin layer chromatography was used to demonstrate that the cells contained no free mannose.

O-toluidine reacted with glucose and galactose as it did with lactose, of which the content is negligible or nil, at least in the blood of adults.

By adding the error caused by glutathione and the galactose concentration to the glucose values determined enzymatically, the result obtained was the same as that obtained by the o-toluidine method, within the limits of potential error.