Isolation of amniotic fluid proteins of non-maternal serum origin by negative immuno-affinity chromatography

Although several proteins of non-maternal serum origin are known to exist in amniotic fluid, the predominance of serum proteins has hampered the isolation of all but a very few. This report describes the removal of large amounts contaminating serum proteins from amniotic fluid with anti-human serum antibody coupled to a solid matrix, leaving behind small amounts of proteins of interest, about 3% of the total amniotic fluid proteins. An antibody raised against the non-adsorbed proteins and used in immunoelectrophoretic methods permitted detection of more, probably unknown, proteins in amniotic fluid of potential biological and diagnostic interest.