Purification and characterization of bovine lipoproteins: resolution of high density and low density lipoproteins using heparin-Sepharose chromatography.

The selective and reversible adsorption of bovine low density lipoproteins (LDL) by heparin-Sepharose has been exploited as the critical step in a procedure for the preparative isolation of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL)/chylomicrons, LDL, and high density lipoproteins (HDL) from bovine plasma. Molecular size exclusion chromatography and isopycnic density gradient separation steps are also involved in the method described. The resulting HDL and LDL fractions are free from contamination by one another as judged by electrophoretic mobility in agarose gels. The major lipid and apolipoprotein compositions of the three resolved lipoprotein classes have been determined.