How is glucose measured?

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Multiple Choice

How is glucose measured?

Glucose measurement in clinical labs relies on enzymatic reactions that convert glucose into products that can be read out optically. The Trinder color method uses glucose oxidase to oxidize glucose, producing hydrogen peroxide, which then reacts with a chromogen in the presence of peroxidase to give a color proportional to glucose level. This approach is fast and convenient for routine screening and point-of-care testing, but its accuracy can be affected by substances that interfere with the oxidation step or the color reaction. The hexokinase method, on the other hand, is the reference approach because it is highly specific for glucose. It phosphorylates glucose to glucose-6-phosphate, which is then oxidized by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase with NADP+ to form NADPH. The amount of NADPH produced is measured spectrophotometrically, which provides a highly accurate, specific measurement with fewer interferences. Thus, glucose can be measured using either the Trinder glucose oxidase color method or the hexokinase method, with the latter serving as a gold-standard reference method for accuracy. Enzymatic glucose measurement is indeed used in practice.

Glucose measurement in clinical labs relies on enzymatic reactions that convert glucose into products that can be read out optically. The Trinder color method uses glucose oxidase to oxidize glucose, producing hydrogen peroxide, which then reacts with a chromogen in the presence of peroxidase to give a color proportional to glucose level. This approach is fast and convenient for routine screening and point-of-care testing, but its accuracy can be affected by substances that interfere with the oxidation step or the color reaction.

The hexokinase method, on the other hand, is the reference approach because it is highly specific for glucose. It phosphorylates glucose to glucose-6-phosphate, which is then oxidized by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase with NADP+ to form NADPH. The amount of NADPH produced is measured spectrophotometrically, which provides a highly accurate, specific measurement with fewer interferences.

Thus, glucose can be measured using either the Trinder glucose oxidase color method or the hexokinase method, with the latter serving as a gold-standard reference method for accuracy. Enzymatic glucose measurement is indeed used in practice.

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