Fingerprinting of molecular components in individual human cerebrospinal fluid samples with a new micropurification...

This paper reports a rapid and sensitive microtechnique for fingerprinting as little as 20 microliters of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from individual humans. Different molecular components were also isolated from the fluid. The SMART system, a new system optimized for high-recovery micropurification, was used for this purpose. The CSF sample, obtained by lumbar puncture, was applied directly into the system, and the patterns recorded for different individuals under various physiological conditions were compared. The results indicate that the procedure provides a powerful tool for the identification or recovery of CSF components and may also be of importance for diagnostic use.