Simplified cell microelectrophoretic method applied to the macrophage electrophoretic mobility test for cancer diagnosis.

Simplified agarose-coated capillary microelectrophoresis was adapted to the Macrophage Electrophoretic Mobility (MEM) test for cancer detection. Guinea pig alveolar macrophages gave superior reproducibility to peritoneal macrophages. As good or better reproducibility was obtained with cryopreserved, as with fresh macrophages. The electrophoretic mobilities of patients' lymphocytes themselves, after incubation with Encephalitogenic Factor (EF) showed a significant increase in electrophoretic mobility, while in control lymphocytes a decrease occurred. Thus, for the detection of the results of the interaction of EF on human lymphocytes, a direct lymphocyte electrophoretic mobility test may suffice, and guinea pig macrophages may no longer be required at all.