Separation of erythropoietic stimulators in severe anaemia using high performance gel permeation chromatography

Abstract

Lappin TRJ, Elder GE, Madden M, Bridges JM. Separation of erythropoietic stimulators in severe anaemia using high performance gel permeation chromatography. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 1985; 45: 753–758.

Patients with various types of anaemia, but with comparable haemoglobin levels, show a wide range of serum erythropoietic activity. We have developed a method for the fractionation of serum by HPLC followed by bioassay of the individual fractions, using the mouse spleen cell microassay. Up to three distinct peaks of erythropoietic activity corresponding to molecular weights (MW)> 300,000, 250,000–300,000 and 40,000 have been found in serum from both normal and anaemic subjects. The erythropoietic profiles of the sera examined differ markedly in anaemias of different aetiology. The chemical nature and the physiological significance of the stimulators remain to be investigated.

Key Words:

• anaemia
• bioassay
• erythropoietic stimulators
• erythropoiesis
• HPLC