Applications in clinical biochemistry

Gel chromatography has offered an invaluable contribution to clinical research and practice. In some cases GPC is more accurate, more rapid or simpler than other 

Diabetes can be diagnosed based on a qualitative and quantitative determination of insulin contents in serum extracts. A very exact analysis of this type can be carried out by GPC on Bio-Gel P-30 using 1 M acetic acid as eluent [162]. 

Human cancer is still a subject of intensive clinical studies. Sirsat et al. [163] used GPC for quantitative assay of amylase in the saliva and urine from healthy persons and patients with mumps and salivary gland tumour. They found differences between healthy persons and patients. After recovery from mumps, the amylase pattern returned to normal. After irradiation of the tumour, signs of recovery were observed but the amylase pattern remained different from that in normal persons. 

Cochet et al. [164] used GPC in studies on steroid-binding macromolecules. The method proved to be rapid and more efficient than the routinely employed density gradient centrifugation. Since only small-sample volumes are required, the method is suitable for microanalysis of pathological materials such as, e.g., excisions from human cancerous tissue. In patients with acute myelocystic leukaemia, as distinct from healthy persons, urine chromatography yielded an additional fraction that was eluted at a position of a lower This fraction was absent in 96% of persons without cancer and in the rest (4%) it occurred only in very low amounts by contrast, it occurred in 91% of cancer patients [165]. 

3 Kremmer. T. and Boross, L. (1979) Gel Chromatography. Akad6miai Kiad6 Budapest. 

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Ell. Efron, M. L., Amino acids, amines and related compoimds. Applications in clinical biochemistry. In Chromatographic and Electrophoretic Techniques. Vol. I. Chromatography (I. Smith, ed.), 3rd Ed., pp. 151-169. Wiley (Interscience), New York, 1969. 

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