Proteins in Serum and Rectal Mucus of Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

Summary Paper electrophoresis with staining for proteins and glycoproteins, and determinations of total serum protein and protein-bound hexose, were performed on ulcerative colitis and on normal serums. An absolute decrease in serum albumin and an absolute increase in α 2 -globulin were the only serum protein changes found in the ulcerative colitis serums. Serum protein-bound hexose levels, as a measure of total serum glycoproteins, were normal, although this value is usually found to be elevated in other chronic inflammatory diseases. The relative distribution of serum glycoproteins, however, was altered towards an increase in α 1 - and α 2 -glycoproteins. No qualitative or quantitative alterations of the γ-globulins were observed. Although this does not rule out, the possibility of immune phenomena playing a role in ulcerative colitis, our paper electrophoretic studies supplied no evidence in favor of this hypothesis. Visible rectal mucus from normal and ulcerative colitis subjects contained several serum proteins, especially α 1 - and α 2 -glycoproteins. These serum proteins may be integral constituents of rectal and colonic mucus.