Serum Proteins Electrophoresis by Agarose Gel – M-Spike Screening and Beyond-Review

Serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) is a laboratory technique used as a screening test for dysproteinemia. One of the most commonly used media is agarose presenting excellent visualization and densitometric quantification. Clinical presentation of diseases related to monoclonal protein is often obscure at the onset and the complications are the first to come forward in an advanced disease. SPE is also included in different diagnostic panels as a helpful diagnostic tool in the context of liver diseases, nephrotic syndrome, acute and chronic inflammation, hemolytic anemia, iron-deficiency anemia, hyperlipidemia, and polyclonal gammopathies.