PLASMA PROTEIN METABOLISM—ELECTROPHORETIC STUDIES

Abstract

Electrophoretic patterns of human and dog plasma are markedly altered by the extraction of a large part of the plasma lipids. Total electrophoretic areas, relative areas of individual electrophoretic components, and electrophoretic albumin: globulin ratios undergo change. For human plasma, such extractions confirm previous observations that a particularly rich lipid content characterizes beta globulin. Abnormally large beta peaks regularly occur in the presence of elevated plasma lipids. Marked increases in gamma globulin, however, are also found to be due in large part to elevated plasma lipid levels in certain abnormal human plasmas. The greatest relative amount of lipid in dog plasma, in contrast to human plasma, is associated not with the beta globulin, but with components usually designated as alpha globulins. Not only the areas, but the configuration and the number of alpha globulin peaks in dog plasma are altered by the extraction of plasma lipids. The results demonstrate that increased alpha globulin areas which occur in the plasma of hypoproteinemic dogs are due in large part to elevated plasma lipid levels.