Elimination of 14C-glycated albumin from serum of rabbit

Glycated albumin was prepared by incubation of serum from rabbits with randomly labelled 14C-glucose. The isolated glycated albumin fraction was reinfused to the same animal. 14C-labelled glucose was given to alloxan-treated rabbits. The disappearance of the radioactivity showed a rapid initial phase and a slow elimination phase, which could be acceptably described by first-order kinetics. The estimated half-life of glycated albumin was about 6 days, which is about 70% of that generally stated for albumin in the rabbit. If these findings were transferred to human conditions, the half-life of fructosamine would be in the range of 13-14 days.