Apolipoproteins C-II and C-III in serum quantified by zone immunoelectrophoresis.

Zone immunoelectrophoresis assays specific for apolipoprotein C-II and C-III have been developed. These simple, accurate, reproducible, and sensitive methods present valid alternatives to conventional immunoassays. In fasting normolipidemic men and women the concentrations of apolipoprotein C-II and C-III were 49 (SD 25) mg/L and 124 (SD 60) mg/L, respectively, with no sex-related differences for either apolipoprotein. The frequency distribution of apolipoprotein C-II was skewed to the right, whereas apolipoprotein C-III was bimodally distributed. Concentrations of each apolipoprotein correlated well with one another and with that of serum triglycerides, but there was virtually no correlation between the apolipoprotein C-II to C-III mass ratio and the concentration of triglycerides. Apolipoprotein C-III, but not apolipoprotein C-II, was statistically associated with total cholesterol.