Microscope slide electrophoresis of serum lipoproteins in agarose gel.

An ultramicro electrophoretic technique for the separation of serum lipoproteins is described using agarose gel on microscope slides.The interaction between the agarose gel and lipoproteins has been reduced and the separation between beta- and pre-beta-lipoproteins has been improved over existing methods. A semiquantitative assay of the lipoproteins can be done in a densitometer. It is suggested that the interaction between agarose gel and lipoproteins, which, without albumin in the system, results in distortion of the lipoprotein bands, may be mediated by free fatty acids.