Evaluation of equilibrium gel filtration chromatography for the study of protein binding of aluminum in normal and uremic sera.

Normal and uremic serum samples were chromatographed on a gel filtration column and fractions were analyzed for protein and aluminum content. Whereas much of the aluminum in the serum samples eluted with protein, a significant fraction appeared to be associated with low molecular weight species. Analysis of column fractions for aluminum binding by a competitive binding assay indicated no aluminum-binding serum constituents in these later eluting fractions. Uremic serum appeared, however, to contain aluminum-binding constituents of a lower molecular weight than in normal serum.