Electrophoretic Studies of Serum Proteins and Glycoproteins During Early Stages of Experimental Tuberculosis. ∗

Abstract

Summary

The systemic effects of acute experimental tuberculosis as reflected by alterations in concentration and distribution of the proteins and protein-bound carbohydrates of serum were investigated by filter paper electrophoresis. Electrophoretic analyses were performed on serum samples from groups of adult female guinea pigs sacrificed 8, 15, 19, 29, and 50 days following inoculation with 0.1 mg M. tuberculosis. Significant increases occurred in total serum glycoprotein levels and in the protein component of the α₁-globulin fraction 8 days post-infection. A marked elevation of the polysaccharide moiety of the α₂-globulin fraction and a significant decline in albumin protein was observed 15 days following infection. With the exception of significant increases in the components of the γ-globulin fraction in the latter stages of the study, major alterations in the other subfractions of serum had occurred by 15 days postinfection. It is suggested that the early alterations in electrophoretic patterns represent primarily systemic manifestations of the inflammatory response.