Distribution of serum zinc between albumin and alpha 2-macroglobulin in patients with different zinc metabolic disorders.

The distribution of total serum zinc between serum albumin and alpha 2-macroglobulin was evaluated by ultracentrifugation in patients with cirrhosis of the liver, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, or chronic renal failure. We found that the alpha 2-macroglobulin bound zinc fraction amounts to approximately 6 and 5% of the total serum zinc in patients with cirrhosis of the liver and diabetes mellitus, which corresponds to the distribution in controls. In patients with chronic renal failure, however, the alpha 2-macroglobulin-bound zinc fraction only constitutes approximately 2%, which is significantly less than in controls. Our findings indicate that most of the total serum zinc is bound to serum albumin.