Separation and size determination of human serum lipoproteins by agarose gel filtration.

A method is described for the separation of the three major classes of human serum lipoproteins by gel filtration on columns of 4 and 6% agarose gel. After calibration of the columns, the elution volumes of the lipoproteins were used to calculate the molecular sizes and molecular weights of these macromolecules. The technique was employed to demonstrate aggregation of low density lipoprotein following partial delipidation, partial proteolysis, or mild heat denaturation. Agarose gel filtration shows promise as a useful method for the isolation, purification, and characterization of lipoproteins.