This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access.
Abstract
The concentration of retinol in serum in retinitis pigmentosa was determined by a reliable, conventional fiuorometric procedure involving extraction and column chromatography, and by a new procedure that measures directly the fluorescence of the retinol-binding protein complex in serum. The mean values for 15 serum samples analyzed by the two methods were, respectivtly, 66 and 67 µg per 100 ml. The results indicate that neither the extractahle retinol nor the retinol-binding protein itself are present in reduced amounts. No alteration in the fluorescence properties of the transport complex of retinol in serum could be found. The findings strongly suggest that in retinitis pigmentosa, retinol transport in the general circulation is unimpaired.