The effect of acetic acid on the stability of serum proteins.

Several investigators (1, 2) have shown that when horse serum is denatured a change in the relative distribution of electrophoretic components occurs. Van der Scheer, Wyckoff, and Clarke (1) found that heating of serum at 65” resulted in the formation of a single component, with the disappearance of the albumin and globulin peaks of the serum. This was confirmed by Davis, Hollaender, and Greenstein (2) who also demonstrated a similar phenomenon produced by ultraviolet radiation. In the present study the stability of serum and certain plasma protein fractions at acid pH values in the presence of acetatehas been investigated. To determine the stability of these proteins, electrophoretic analysis was carried out after removal of the acetate ions and the results are compared with those obtained with undenatured human serum.