Measurement of Putrescine, Spermidine, and Spermine in Physiological Fluids by Use of an Amino Acid Analyzer

Elevated polyamine concentrations in human urine and serum appear to be associated with the presence of many types of cancer. The automated amino acid analyzer lends itself to the rapid separation and measurement of these substances with little sample handling and excellent reproducibility. The ion-exchange resin used was Beckman’s PA-35 (strong sulfonic acid cation exchanger, copolymerization product of styrene-divinylbenzene). Amino acids are bound less strongly to the resin than are the polyamines, and can be removed by first eluting with a buffer of lower ionic strength. If sample injections are overlapped, one sample can be analyzed every hour. We have corroborated that increased concentrations of polyamines appear in the urine of patients with a variety of cancers. Additionally, we have shown increased amounts of polyamines in the serum of patients having a diagnosis of cancer.