Protein Electrophoresis
Sample: Serum
Schedule: Three days
Units: (See table below)
Range: (See table below)
Remarks: The principal use of Protein Electrophoresis is to detect monoclonal gammapathies. Monoclonal gammapathies are associated with haematopoietic neoplasms, specially Multiple Myeloma and macroglobulinaemia. Protein Electrophores also is used to investigate liver disorders like cirrhosis and autoimmune chronic active hepatitis (see ASMA, AMA). Polyclonal gammopathy may be seen with common chronic immunologic stimulation (sarcoidosis, leishmaniasis and other entities). Increased polyclonal gammapathy is found in autoimmune tissue connective disease (SLE, rheumatoid arthritis), infectious disease osteomyelitis, bronchiectasis, leishmaniasis), inflammatory process (sarcoidosis), neoplasms (Hodgkins), and some leukemias.
Globulins are serum proteins that have the lowest electrophoretic migration. Serum proteins electrophoretically are divided into: Albumin, alpha1-globulins, alpha-2 globulins, beta-globulins and gamma-globulins. Since the gamma globulin fraction is composed almost entirely of immunoglobulins IgG, IgM, IgA, IgE, IgD, gamma globulin came to be used as a synonym of immunoglobulin fraction:
