Immune reactions in polysaccharide media. Investigation on complex-formation between some polysaccharides, albumin and immunoglobulin G.

Serum albumin and immunoglobulin G were chromatographed on columns of dextran, hyaluronate and chondroitin 4-sulphate. The partition of the two proteins between hyaluronate and buffer was also measured by equilibrium dialysis. The results accord with the view that there is no complex-formation between the polysaccharides and the proteins in 0.05m-phosphate buffer, pH7.4, containing sodium chloride (0.1m). The observations support the hypothesis that the previously described polysaccharide enhancement of the precipitin reaction is due to exclusion and not to non-specific complex-formation.