The Ratios of Total Serum Protein to Protein Electrophoretic Fractions during Pregnancy as Diagnostic Information

Background: Ratios of total serum protein (TP) concentrations to serum protein electrophoretic fractions could reflect impact on intravascular homeostasis in pregnancy of qualitative and quantitative changes in highabundance protein of serum between consecutive trimesters. Methods: TP concentrations were measured by biuret method and six protein fractions were separated by electrophoresis in 186 serum samples from 65 healthy pregnant women in each trimester of normal singleton pregnancy and from 20 non-pregnant women. Results: TP/fraction ratios in pregnancy and postpartum period differed from those in non-pregnancy. Ratios of TP/ protein fractions changed across trimesters, mostly between first and second trimesters with increase in TP / albumin ratio by 5% while ratios TP/alpha-1-, TP/alpha-2- and TP/beta-1- globulin decreased by 22%, 15% and 15%, respectively. TP/gamma-globulin ratio increased by 15% between second and third trimesters. Conclusions: Ratios of TP concentrations to specific protein fractions may reflect trimester-specific qualitative and quantitative changes in serum content of high-abundance proteins and their effect on serum protein homeostasis in pregnancy. Decreased ratios of TP to alpha-1-, alpha-2-, beta-1- and beta-2- globulins confirm increases in concentrations of individual proteins contained in these fractions with development of pregnancy, with largest increase in level of alpha-1-globulin in earliest period of pregnancy