Serum proteins are the diverse population of proteins dissolved in blood serum, the fluid that remains after blood has clotted and the cells and clotting factors have been removed. They are conventionally grouped, by their behaviour on electrophoresis, into albumin and the globulin fractions (alpha, beta, and gamma)…
Serum proteins are the diverse population of proteins dissolved in blood serum, the fluid that remains after blood has clotted and the cells and clotting factors have been removed. They are conventionally grouped, by their behaviour on electrophoresis, into albumin and the globulin fractions (alpha, beta, and gamma), each comprising proteins with distinct functions. Albumin, the most abundant serum protein, maintains plasma oncotic pressure and transports hormones, fatty acids, drugs, and ions. The globulins include transport proteins, complement and acute-phase reactants, and the immunoglobulins (gamma globulins) that mediate humoral immunity. Because their concentrations shift in characteristic ways during disease, serum proteins are widely used as diagnostic and prognostic indicators: altered albumin and globulin levels reflect nutritional state, liver and kidney function, inflammation, and immune activation. In the context of infection, measurement of total proteins together with the beta- and gamma-globulin fractions can serve as an indicator of disease status and response to therapy, as illustrated in studies of Leishmania infection. Serum protein analysis also contributes to assessing antioxidant and metabolic status. Quantification and fractionation, by methods such as electrophoresis and immunoassay, allow clinicians and researchers to interpret these changes. As accessible reporters of systemic physiology, serum proteins are central to the laboratory evaluation of malignancy, immune disorders, organ dysfunction, and infection.
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