Enzymatic assay of hemoglobin in tissue homogenates with chlorpromazine.

An assay of hemoglobin in tissue homogenates is described. Tissues are homogenized with a 40 mM phosphate buffer (pH 8.0) solution without the use of a polytron or sonicator. The assay should be carried out before fractionations such as centrifugation. By measuring the free-radical intermediates of chlorpromazine, which are formed by the addition of hemoglobin, a linear calibration curve can be obtained within the range of hemoglobin contents between 0.8 and 12.0 micrograms. The present method can be applied to the assay of hemoglobin in several kinds of tissues from rats.