Capacity related characteristics of Glyco-Gel affinity chromatographic support.

We examined capacity related properties of "Glyco-Gel" (Pierce), a boronate agarose gel for separating and measuring glycated proteins by affinity chromatography. Our data indicate linear capacity to as much as 20 mg as applied hemoglobin or almost 10 mg as bound hemoglobin and 26 mg as applied serum proteins or a minimum of 2.5 mg as bound serum protein for each mL of gel. The capacity and affinity of the support for glycated proteins becomes optimum only after four regeneration cycles. The support matrix appears to have a small concentration of nonspecific binding sites equivalent to 0.09 to 0.18 mg as serum protein for each mL of gel. These sites do not bind hemoglobin. They lead to an overestimation of glycated protein that can cause large errors when the proportion of glycated protein is determined with small column loads. If near capacity loads are applied, the samples must be dialyzed or diluted to avoid decreased analytical recovery resulting from competitive and eluting properties of endogenous sugars.

Non-enzymic glycation of individual plasma proteins in normoglycemic and hyperglycemic patients.

Diabetic patients in poor glycemic control show increased glycation of total plasma proteins, but little is yet known about the relative extents to which the various individual proteins are glycated. Thus, we studied the non-enzymic glycation of several major plasma proteins and plasma protein fractions in normal and diabetic patients. In vivo glycation for most plasma proteins was very low in non-diabetic patients, only gamma globulin showing more than 5% glycation. In diabetic plasmas, glycation was much greater, immunoglobulins again showing the greatest proportion, followed in descending order by albumin, complement C3, fibrinogen, transferrin, haptoglobin, and alpha-1-antitrypsin. When plasma proteins were glycated in vitro, this order was IgG greater than complement C3 greater than albumin greater than transferrin greater than haptoglobin greater than alpha-1-antitrypsin. In general, proteins with the longest biological half-lives, such as IgG and albumin, showed the greatest in vivo glycation. On the other hand, proteins with high intrinsic glycability, such as complement C3, showed moderate glycation, despite a short half-life. Except for albumin, more basic proteins showed greater glycation than acidic proteins, but there was poor correlation between mole percent lysine and glycation. Evidently the relative extents of glycation of different plasma proteins are a complex function of integrated glucose concentrations over time and of the half-life and chemical characteristics of each protein.