Improved extraction of steroid hormones from the blood plasma of the domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus) using light petroleum at elevated temperatures

Abstract

A study has been made of the extraction of steroid hormones from hen blood plasma into light petroleum (boiling range 60–80 °C) at 50 °C. This technique results in a high yield of steroid hormones such as testosterone, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione, progesterone, corticosterone and oestrone, which partition into the epiphase with a low level of lipid contaminant. 17β-Oestradiol was poorly extracted, giving only a 52.5% yield. The relatively high temperature used did not cause steroid degradation. The low level of lipid contaminant in the light petroleum fraction contrasted favourably with that found with use of conventional methods when using solvents such as diethyl ether or dichloromethane.