High-performance liquid chromatographic molecular weight determination of allergen extracts. Examination of the influence of the column material on allergenic activity and allergen patterns.

To investigate whether the column material employed in size-exclusion high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) influences the allergenic activity and antigen/allergen patterns of allergen extracts, the molecular weights of a mite and a birch pollen allergen extract were determined using a Bio-Sil TSK 250 column with a guard column. The allergenic activities were measured by RAST inhibition and the antigen/allergen patterns were determined by crossed (radio)immunoelectrophoresis. The original extracts and the corresponding eluates after HPLC runs showed the same allergenic activity and the same number of antigen/allergen precipitation lines. Only slight differences in the peak heights of some precipitates were observed.