The microheterogeneity of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in inflammatory lung disease, cancer of the lung and normal health.

The concentration of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP, orosomucoid) was measured in sera from 19 patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, 16 patients with an inflammatory lung disease and 17 persons with normal health. All sera were further subjected to crossed immuno-affinoelectrophoresis with addition of Con A in the first dimension and sugar in the second dimension. The distribution of AGP into four microheterogeneity forms, which were the result of this analysis, was estimated by measuring the area under the precipitation curve. The microheterogeneity patterns of AGP in the three groups were significantly different from each other (p less than 0.001). The total concentration of AGP in the two groups of patients was significantly different from the concentration in the healthy group (p less than 0.001).