Abstract: The amount of lipid bound sialic acid in a blood plasma or serum sample may be determined by an improved method, which may be automated, involving the following steps to be performed simultaneously on the sample and a standard consisting of commercially available n-acetyl nueraminic acid (NANA); diluting with a buffer; mixing the diluted sample; adding a mixture of a chlorinated lower aklyl hydrocarbon and a lower alkyl alcohol; treating by mixing and centrifuging to yield a substantially clear upper phase; treating the upper phase with a color development reagent; mixing; boiling the admixture; cooling the admixture; and determining the amount of lipid bound sialic acid present in the sample by comparing the optical density of the sample to the optical density of the NANA.

Abstract: The amount of lipid bound sialic acid in a blood plasma or serum sample may be determined by an improved method which may be automated involving the following steps to be performed simultaneously on the sample and a known standard prepared from human or animal blood or tissue; diluting with distilled water; mixing; adding a mixture of a chlorinated lower aklyl alcohol; mixing, diluting with water and then treating by mixing further and centrifuging to yield a substantially clear upper phase; recovering the upper phase and adding to it a protein precipitating agent, mixing the resulting admixture; recovering the resulting precipitate, suspending the precipitate in a hydrolysis agent and determining the amount of lipid bound sialic acid present by comparing the optical density of the sample to the optical density of the standard.