title: The analysis of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, marker of chronic alcoholism, using capillary electrophoresis.
abstract: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) is currently considered to be the best available marker for the diagnosis of chronic alcoholism. A large variety of methods have been developed, demonstrating the need for standardisation. Commercially available anion-exchange chromatographic-based assays are easy to use and require no specialised, expensive instruments. However, these methods cannot identify genetic transferrin variants or the carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome. In 1989, a capillary isoelectric focusing method was developed for quantitative measurement of CDT. Despite the optimal resolution, this method is not easily applied in a clinical routine environment due to the complexity of analysis. Capillary electrophoresis in a polymer network using coated capillaries allowed full resolution of the sialoforms of human transferrin. The drawbacks due to an expensive and time-consuming sample preparation were eliminated when a method in neat serum was developed. Capillary zone electrophoresis allowed full resolution of the transferrin isoforms with a high analytical performance in a short analysis time thanks to a strong electroosmotic flow. Genetic transferrin variants were easily detected, avoiding false-positive results. Also, using capillary zone electrophoresis, it was shown that CDT is a suitable marker of chronic alcohol abuse detection in transferrin CD (common/cathodal) variants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital Gent, Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Birgitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wuyts
authors.forename: Joris R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Delanghe
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange / Q000379:methods; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014168:Transferrin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014168:Transferrin; C056759:carbohydrate-deficient transferrin