Studies on Acute Phase Proteins of Rat Serum. II. Determination of the Contents of α1-Acid Glycoprotein, α2-Macroglobulin, and Albumin in Serum from Rats Suffering from Induced Inflammation

Abstract

A quantitative precipitin technique has been employed to determine the contents of α1-acid glycoprotein, α2-macroglobulin, and albumin in serum from control rats and rats suffering from induced inflammation for 5–96 h. There was an increase in the content of α1-acid glycoprotein and α2-macroglobulin in serum from experimental animals reaching a maximum at 48–72 h after administration of inflammatory agent indicating that both proteins are acute phase globulins. There was only a slight change in the content of albumin in serum from experimental animals when compared with controls. Studies involving incorporation of labelled precursors of glycoprotein biosynthesis into α1-acid glycoprotein and α2-macroglobulin indicated that the most likely explanation for the increase in α1-acid glycoprotein and α2-macroglobulin in serum from experimental animals was an increase in the rates of synthesis of the two proteins in question.