The measurement of glycosylated hemoglobin in man and animals by aminophenylboronic acid affinity chromatography

Abstract

Glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb) was estimated in normal and diabetic human, rat, and dog hemolysate by m-aminophenylboronic acid (PBA) affinity chromatography and the results compared with the values determined using two ion-exchange (ION-E) methods and a colorimetric thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. There was a good correlation between the values estimated by PBA and both ION-E chromatography methods for the human samples (r = 0.83, P less than 0.0002, r = 0.86, P less than 0.002). In diabetic rat and dog hemolysates, PBA chromatography demonstrated higher glycosylated hemoglobin than in normal hemolysate. In both species, there was an excellent correlation between the PBA-estimated GHb and plasma glucose levels (rat r = 0.79, P less than 0.001; dog r = 0.67, P less than 0.003). The ION-E and TBA methods were not as effective in separating diabetic from normal samples and correlated less well with plasma glucose levels. PBA chromatography relies on the interaction of m-amino phenylboronate with the hydroxyl groups of the glucose residues attached to hemoglobin. It is not affected by intra- or interspecies variations in the hemoglobin moiety and should be adaptable for measurement of GHb in a number of laboratory animals and in patients with hemoglobinopathy. It is not affected significantly by temperature and may offer advantages over the ION-E method in the routine determination of human glycosylated hemoglobin.