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Serum albumin, often referred to simply as albumin, is the most abundant plasma protein in humans and other mammals. Albumin is essential for maintaining the osmotic pressure needed for proper distribution of body fluids between intravascular compartments and body tissues. The human version is human serum albumin. Bovine serum albumin, or BSA, is commonly used in molecular biology laboratories. Albumin is negatively charged. The glomerular basement membrane is also negatively charged; this prevents the filtration of albumin in the urine. In nephrotic syndrome, this property is lost, and there is more albumin loss in the urine. Nephrotic syndrome patients are given albumin to replace the lost albumin. Because smaller animals (for example rats) function at a lower blood pressure, they need less oncotic pressure to balance this, and thus need less albumin to maintain proper fluid distribution.
Functions of albumin Causes of albumin deficiency (hypoalbuminemia) Testing for albumin loss via the kidneys In the healthy kidney, albumin's size and negative electric charge exclude it from excretion in the glomerulus. This is not always the case, as in some diseases including diabetic nephropathy, a major complication of uncontrolled diabetes where proteins can cross the glomerulus. The lost albumin can be detected by a simple urine test *. Depending on the amount of albumin lost, a patient may have normal renal function, microalbuminuria, or albuminuria. | ||||||||
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