Electrophoretic Investigations of Blood Serum in Fasted Rats

Abstract

Effect of fasting and prosperity or decay of serum proteins of rats were studied with electrophoretic and other techniques. Total concentration of serum protein decreased progressively during fasting, and at the same time volume of the circulating serum was also observed to decrease. These results reflected in a rise in arterial hematocrit value. As for compositions of blood serum, about 45% of albumin was lost during three-day-fasting, whereas an amount of globulins lost during the same periods of fasting was about 37%. Among globulins, α₂-, β- and γ-fractions were observed to decrease significantly. These decays might bring about some alterations in a mode of drug transfer in the body. Using these serums in vitro equilibrium dialysis was performed. Serum protein binding of sulfamethoxazole had a tendency to decrease with increasing periods of fasting, probably due to a fall in the concentration of serum albumin in fasted rats. Reduction in the amount of proteins of blood serum, particularly albumin, was assumed to affect the drug transfer in body and some discussions about the drug efficacy in fasted rats were made.