Discontinuous polyacrylamide gel - agarose gel immunoelectrophoresis for analysis of plasma lipoproteins

A modification of crossed immunoelectrophoresis for the analysis of plasma lipoproteins is described and is called polyacrylamide gel‐crossed immunoelectrophoresis. The incorporation of albumin in the first‐dimensional gel facilitates the transfer of the larger lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein B from the first‐dimensional gel to the second dimension. Furthermore, under this condition the quantitation of total apolipoprotein B by polyacrylamide gel‐crossed immunoelectrophoresis is in good agreement with the results obtained by rocket immunoelectrophoresis or nephelometry. The correlation between polyacrylamide gel‐crossed immunoelectrophoresis and rocket immunoelectrophoresis is good for total apolipoprotein B (p > 0.001) and apolipoprotein A‐I (p > 0.001). Polyacrylamide gel‐crossed immunoelectrophoresis also offers interesting aspects to study the plasma lipoprotein classes and subclasses in different cases: normal plasma, current and complex dyslipoproteinemias in the presence or absence of lipoprotein small a. In a case of dyslipoproteinemia of Fredrickson′s Type V polyacrylamide gel‐crossed immunoelectrophoresis demonstrates the presence of a small‐sized Lp (a) major peak in the low density lipoprotein (LDL) zone and of a large‐sized Lp (a) minor peak in the very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) zone.