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Are there reliable measurements of adrenochrome levels in human blood or tissues?
Executive summary
Published analytical methods exist and old experimental papers measured or attempted to measure adrenochrome in plasma, but multiple peer‑reviewed reports say adrenochrome was not detectable in the blood of normal or schizophrenic subjects using the methods available at the time (e.g., a sensitive plasma assay could not detect it) [1] [2]. Laboratory studies also document in vitro formation and detection methods (spectrophotometry, HPLC, fluorometry) and animal or tissue measurements, showing the compound can form rapidly from epinephrine under oxidative conditions and can be measured in controlled settings [3] [4] [5].
1. What researchers actually measured: historical assays and findings
Early and mid‑20th century studies developed spectrofluorometric, spectrophotometric and chromatographic assays to look for adrenochrome in plasma and blood; some methods were described as “specific and sensitive” yet still reported non‑detectable levels of adrenochrome in human plasma from normal and schizophrenic subjects [1] [6]. Other laboratory work added adrenochrome to plasma to study its behavior and transformation (incubation and melanin‑like products), showing investigators could detect added adrenochrome and its downstream pigments under experimental conditions [7].
2. Where detection has been reliable: tissues, cells and controlled systems
Studies reliably detect adrenochrome formation in vitro and in animal models or isolated cells: polymorphonuclear leukocytes and other oxidative systems convert adrenaline to adrenochrome rapidly (detectable within minutes) and investigators have measured this transformation by absorbance at 480 nm, HPLC and radiochemical separation [3] [8]. Reviews and chemical‑analysis papers describe HPLC‑PDA methods and rat blood measurements as reproducible, indicating analytical chemistry can quantify adrenochrome in controlled samples [5].
3. Why adrenochrome is often “not found” in human blood samples
Multiple reports state that adrenochrome “has not been detected in blood” or was undetectable in plasma of human subjects when using the available assays — likely because adrenochrome is unstable, rapidly reacts or is transformed in whole blood/plasma, and forms primarily under oxidative conditions that may not persist in collected clinical samples [2] [1] [3]. Several experimental studies explicitly incubated adrenaline with plasma or blood and observed rapid transformation into other products (melanins, adrenolutin), underlining why direct measurement in routine human samples is difficult [7] [3].
4. Analytical capability today: methods exist but context matters
Contemporary analytical chemistry literature documents HPLC‑PDA, spectrofluorometry and other chromatographic approaches that can separate and quantify aminochromes if samples are handled to preserve them and appropriate standards are used [5] [6]. Genetic Testing Registry listings and modern method reviews indicate clinical/research tests exist for related compounds (DL‑adrenochrome entries), but available sources do not specify routine clinical reference ranges in humans [9] [5]. In short: the chemistry and assays exist; routine detection in circulating human blood is uncommon and method‑dependent [5] [9].
5. Implications for sensational claims (harvesting, recreational use)
Conspiracy narratives that claim routine, high circulating levels of adrenochrome in human victims or that it is harvested for a psychotropic or anti‑aging effect are inconsistent with scientific literature showing low or undetectable levels in plasma and the compound’s labile chemistry [1] [10]. Popular coverage and debunking pieces note adrenochrome’s role in fiction and online conspiracies, and reviewers emphasize it is not an approved or widely used recreational drug and that claims about harvesting lack empirical support [10] [11] [12].
6. Bottom line for someone seeking “reliable measurements”
If you want reliable measurements, peer‑reviewed analytical methods (HPLC, spectrofluorometry) can quantify adrenochrome in prepared or experimentally produced samples and some animal studies have measured it in blood under specific conditions [5] [3]. However, multiple clinical studies using sensitive assays reported failure to detect adrenochrome in human plasma, so routine detection in clinical human blood/tissue samples is not established in the literature cited here [1] [2]. Available sources do not mention standardized reference concentrations for adrenochrome in normal human blood in contemporary clinical practice [9] [1].