Electrochemical determination of all-trans-retinol, and correlation with retinol binding protein in liver cirrhosis

All-trans-retinol (vitamin A1) levels were determined in the sera of patients with cirrhosis of the liver and in normal healthy individuals, using a recently developed method involving high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The vitamin levels were significantly lower in the cirrhotic group. (P less than 0.01), and the correlation between retinol and retinol-binding protein levels was good (r = 0.9678, 0.0000 less than P less than 0.0001). It is suggested that retinol levels may be used to monitor the disease, the assay described being less time-consuming and more convenient than the commonly used retinol-binding protein or 'dark adaption' methods.