A COMPARISON OF CROSSLINKING ABILITIES OF GLUTARALDEHYDE FORMALDEHYDE AND ALPHA-HYDROXYADIPALDEHYDE WITH BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN AND CASEIN

The crosslinking effects of formaldehyde, α-hydroxyadipaldehyde and glutaraldehyde have been compared by various techniques. Using a micro-Ouchterlony technique with an aldehyde treated bovine serum albumin-rabbit anti-bovine serum albumin system it was found that glutaraldehyde prevented precipitin line formation except at very high titres of antibody. The effects of formaldehyde and α-hydroxyadipaldehyde were less marked. Cellulose acetate electrophoresis of aldehyde treated bovine serum albumin showed an increase in mobility compared with the untreated protein. Starch gel electrophoresis of aldehyde fixed liver slices showed no protein loss after glutaraldehyde fixation whereas the other aldehydes permitted proteins to be extracted. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the aldehyde treated bovine serum albumin showed a little change in mobility after formaldehyde and α-hydroxyadipaldehyde treatment and a little polymer formation. Glutaraldehyde on the other hand produced much polymer. These findings were confirmed by gel filtration with Sephadex G-200. Intermolecular crosslinking with glutaraldehyde was dependant on the aldehyde concentration. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.