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.