ELECTROPHORETIC STUDIES IN LIVER DISEASE. I. COMPARISON OF SERUM AND PLASMA ELECTROPHORETIC PATTERNS IN LIVER DISEASE, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO FIBRINOGEN AND GAMMA GLOBULIN PATTERNS 12

Abstract

Paired serum and plasma samples of 66 persons with various hepatic or miscellaneous diseases and normal subjects were analyzed electrophoreti-cally. Fibrinogen values were markedly elevated, particularly in the cirrhotic group. This was due to the inclusion of a gamma 1 fraction in the "fibrinogen" peak. This gamma 1 fraction has an electrophoretic mobility similar to that of fibrinogen. In the plasma pattern it is buried in the "fibrinogen" peak; this accounts not only for the abnormally elevated "fibrinogen" peaks but also for the serum gamma globulins being significantly greater than the plasma gamma globulin. The addition of gamma 1 as determined in the serum to the total plasma gamma globulin yielded gamma globulin values essentially similar to those of serum. At the same time subtraction of gamma 1 from the elevated fibrinogen values as revealed by the plasma patterns reduced these values by approx. 33-45%. Even after this correction there was still a significant difference between electrophoretic and chemically detd. fibrinogen. Aside from the significant serum plasma difference in gamma globulin, the other protein components were essentially similar in serum and plasma, particularly when expressed as 8./lOO ml.