Normal serum proteins in gastric juice. A preliminary report.

There has been considerable interest in the high molecular weight constituents of gastric juice, with reference to both their biochemi­ cal characteristics and physiologic signifi­ cance. It has been shown that gastric juice from normal subjects and patients with gastric disease is a complex solution of high molecular weight constituents with diverse biochemical, 1. 2 chromatographic,3-5 electro­ phoretic, 6 • 7 polarographic,8 and biologic 9 characteristics. It has also been demon­ strated that there are significant qualitative and quantitative differences between these components in health and disease.1° It is likely that the heterogeneity of gastric juice is even greater than is indicated by the above analytic techniques. One un evaluated technic for gastric juice analysis is the specific immunologic identification of these high molecular weight constituents. This preliminary report is concerned with the application of the immunologic tech­ niques of gel diffusion precipitin analysis and immunoelectrophoresis to the demon­ stration of normal serum proteins present in certain pathologic gastric juice specimens, and their potential clinical values as indica­ tors of gastric disease.