Capillary Isoelectric Focusing and High-Performance Cation-Exchange Chromatography Compared for Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Hemoglobin Variants (Automation and Analytical Techniques‪)‬

Hemoglobins (Hbs)3 are polypeptide tetramers consisting of two pairs of unlike globin chains ([alpha], [beta], [delta], [gamma]), to each of which is bound a heme group. Hb in normal adult human blood is 96% Hb A ([alpha].sub.2][[beta].sub.2]), ~2-3% Hb [A.sub.2] ([alpha].sub.25][[delta].sub.2]), and 1% Hb F (azy2). Normal newborn blood contains Hb F as the major constituent (60-80%) and the rest is Hb A [1]. Analysis of the composition of human blood is of major clinical interest in several congenital defects associated with abnormal Hb content. These hemoglobinopathies are grouped into defective variants of Hbs (such as Hb S and 600 other variants) and thalassemias, which are characterized by abnormal proportions of normal globin chains [2-4].