(Original Article) The Reference Intervals of Serum Protein Electrophoresis in Thai Populations

Kanthika Boonhai; Sompong  Boonhai; Kanyarat  Udompornpitak; Vararat  Putthong; Kollawat  Somsri; Asada  Leelahavanichkul

Authors

Kanthika Boonhai Department of Microbiology, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand
Sompong Boonhai Antiserum and standard cell preparation section, National Blood Centre, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand
Kanyarat Udompornpitak Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Vararat Putthong ฝ่ายวิชาจุลชีววิทยา โรงพยาบาลจุฬาลงกรณ์ สภากาชาดไทย กรุงเทพมหานคร
Kollawat Somsri Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Asada Leelahavanichkul Department of Medicine, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand

Keywords:

Reference Intervals, Serum Protein Electrophoresis (SPEP), Capillary electrophoresis, Gel electrophoresis, Thai blood donor

Abstract

Serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) is an essential analytical technique for assessing the distribution of proteins in serum, and some laboratories rely on reference intervals (RIs) provided by reagent manufacturers. However, these RIs may not adequately reflect population-specific biological variations. Therefore, the establishment of population-based RIs for Thai individuals was performed in the present study to improve diagnostic accuracy for several disorders that are associated with protein abnormalities, such as plasma cell dyscrasias, hepatic diseases, and renal disorders. A total of 409 individuals aged 17-66 years were recruited for SPEP using both capillary-based and gel-based electrophoresis. In the capillary electrophoresis, RIs for albumin, alpha-1, alpha-2, beta-1, beta-2, and gamma globulins were 53.3-65.6% (4.13-5.37 g/dL), 2.4-4.1% (0.19-0.33 g/dL), 5.9-10.6% (0.46-0.86 g/dL), 4.7-7.4% (0.37-0.60 g/dL), 3.6-6.9% (0.27-0.56 g/dL), and 12.8-22.7% (0.94-1.91 g/dL), respectively. In the gel electrophoresis, RIs for albumin, alpha-1, alpha-2, beta-1, beta-2, and gamma globulins were 47.0-61.1% (3.70-4.93 g/dL), 1.9-4.0% (0.15-0.32 g/dL), 6.2-12.0% (0.48-0.98 g/dL), 7.1-11.3% (0.54-0.93 g/dL), 2.8-7.6% (0.22-0.62 g/dL), and 13.9-25.1% (1.02-2.11 g/dL), respectively. Comparative analysis demonstrated statistically significant differences between the RIs that were derived from capillary-based and gel-based electrophoresis for all protein fractions, with the exception of beta-2 globulin. Hence, we proposed the RIs of SPEP for implementation in Thai population

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doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-22-0525.