Extraction, Purification and Physicochemical Properties of Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)

Abstract

A procedure has been described for the purification of the CEA of the human
mammary carcinoma. Tumor tissue extraction in (0.6) M perchloric acid followed by
Ion exchange and column chromatography on Sepharose CL–6B column resulted in
highly purified CEA preparation as determined by both immunological and physicochemical
criteria. Such as, immunoelectrophoresis, stocks radius, isoelectric point,
M.wt., stability and carbohydrate content. The collected data suggest that CEAs of
mammary adenocarcinoma tissues with stocks radius (53 A°), pI (4) and the M.wt.
have been found to be 175 KD.
Finally purified CEA preparation gave rise to single band by disc SDS –
polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a single preciptin arc against corresponding
monoclonal anti–CEA on immunoelectrophoresis. The purified CEA contained
approximately 40% carbohydrate through determination by phenol – sulfuric acid
method.