Clinical Chemistry, Vol 10, 309-320, Copyright © 1964 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Comparison of Technics for Estimation of Albumin by Determination of Its Dye-Binding Capacity and by Paper Electrophoresis

¹ laboratories of the General Clinical Research Center for Children, Wayne State University College of Medicine, and Children's Hospital, Detroit, Mich.

Values for serum albumin obtained by the methyl orange and 2-(4’-hydroxyazobenzene) benzoic acid (HABA) dye-absorption methods have been compared with values obtained by Spinco Procedure B paper-electrophoresis system. A good correlation of albumin values has been found by the three methods in serums with albumin/globulin ratios ranging from 0.19 to 3.00. Modifications of the dye-absorption procedures are presented which permit use of reagents ordinarily employed for automatic analyses on small numbers of specimens. A decrease in ionic strength of the methyl orange buffer tends to increase the sensitivity of this procedure. Temperature affects the HABA dye/albumin reaction. Bilirubin, free hemoglobin, and lipid interfere with both dye procedures. Means for eliminating most of these interferences have been presented. The methyl orange procedure appears to be superior to the 2-(4 -hydroxyazobenzene) benzoic acid method for estimating albumin in icteric serum and serum containing macroglobulins. Albumin values of serum containing abnormal proteins were compared with values obtained by paper electrophoresis and both dye procedures. Estimation of albumin by the two dye procedures appears to be simple, precise, and fairly specific.