Serum albumin

About: Serum albumin is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 16337 publications have been published within this topic receiving 516395 citations. The topic is also known as: blood albumin & ANALBA.

Uptake of hematoporphyrin derivative by normal and malignant cells: effect of serum, pH, temperature, and cell size.

Abstract: Normal and malignant cells were incubated with hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD) and their uptake and retention of HPD were analyzed by flow cytometry. In standard growth medium the amount of HPD taken up by cells was proportional to the added HPD concentration and reached a plateau level after 5–6 h of incubation. The uptake occurred in two steps; within seconds a large amount of HPD became loosely bound to the cells, presumably the outer membrane. This was followed by a slower uptake of HPD into the cytoplasm. The loosely bound portion could be washed from the cells by medium containing either fetal calf serum or serum albumin. At low temperatures the uptake into the cytoplasm was strongly reduced. A major determinant of HPD uptake was the concentration of serum in the medium. At any particular concentration of HPD below 200 mg/liter, increasing concentrations of fetal calf serum or bovine serum albumin resulted in a reduction in the amount of HPD taken up by cells. A further factor affecting uptake was the pH of the medium. At low pH (pH 6) the rate of HPD incorporation was much higher than at pH 7.4. Under identical conditions of incubation, HPD uptake was proportional to cell size as estimated using the low angle light scatter signal in the flow cytometer. Our data suggest that acidic pH, differences in extracellular serum concentrations of malignant tumor tissue, as well as the increased size of tumor cells may play an important role in the selective uptake of HPD by malignant tumors.

Attenuated liver fibrosis and depressed serum albumin levels in carbon tetrachloride-treated IL-6-deficient mice.

Abstract: Chronic intermittent injection of car- bon tetrachloride (CCl4) for more than 10 weeks induced liver fibrosis in mice, as evidenced by positive Azan staining and increased intrahepatic collagen content. Preceding the onset of liver fibrosis, interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene expression was enhanced in liver and immunoreactive IL-6 was detected in infiltrating inflammatory cells. To delin- eate the role of IL-6 in this process, we treated IL-6-deficient mice with CCl4 in a similar manner for 12 weeks, after which fibrotic changes were less evident and serum albumin levels were lower in IL-6-deficient than wild-type mice. Moreover, CCl4- induced expression of transforming growth factor b1 and hepatocyte growth factor genes in liver was significantly reduced in IL-6-deficient mice. Thus, IL-6 may be vitally involved in fibrotic changes and maintenance of serum albumin levels, partly by modulating intrahepatic expression of these cyto- kines. J. Leukoc. Biol. 66: 601-608; 1999.

A1C but not serum glycated albumin is elevated in late pregnancy owing to iron deficiency.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE —A1C levels have been shown to be elevated in relation to glycemia in late pregnancy, although the precise mechanisms remain undetermined. We hypothesized that iron deficiency is involved in the A1C increase in late pregnancy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —In study 1, A1C, serum glycated albumin, erythrocyte indexes, and iron metabolism indexes were determined in 47 nondiabetic pregnant women not receiving iron supplementation who were divided into four groups according to gestational period (group I, 21–24 weeks; group II, 25–28 weeks; group III, 29–32 weeks; and group IV, 33–36 weeks). In study 2, these determinants were obtained at two gestational periods (20–23 weeks and 32–33 weeks) in 17 nondiabetic pregnant women. RESULTS —In study 1, A1C levels were higher in groups III and IV than those in groups I and II, whereas serum glycated albumin levels were not different among these four groups. Hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), serum transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin were lower in groups III and IV. A1C levels were negatively correlated with MCH, serum transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin. In study 2, A1C levels were significantly increased at gestational weeks 32–33 from those at weeks 20–23, whereas serum glycated albumin levels did not differ between the two gestational periods. MCH, serum transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin were decreased at gestational weeks 32–33. A1C levels showed a negative correlation with MCH, serum transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin. CONCLUSIONS —A1C levels were elevated in late pregnancy owing to iron deficiency. Serum glycated albumin may offer a better index for monitoring glycemic control in pregnancy.