COMPOSITION AND PROPERTIES OF HUMAN CERVICAL MUCUS. I. ELECTROPHORETIC SEPARATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF PROTEINS*

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Abstract
The protein content of normal human cervical mucus is about 1%. These proteins were separated by electrophoresis in a dilute agar-buffer medium (0.005 u veronal buffer of pH 8.6) into 4 fractions. Fraction "a" migrated as does serum albumin, fraction "b" included the usual alpha and beta zones, fraction "c" was a non-migrating substance, and "d" migrated as does gamma-globulin. The identity of fractions "a" and "d" as albumin and gamma-globulin, respectively, was confirmed by an immunological technique. All of the electrophoretically separated zones except for albumin gave a positive periodic acid-Schiff reaction. On the average, there were 21% albumin, 36% total globulins, and 43% of a non-migrating component in the cervical mucus samples from 20 women during various phases of the menstrual cycle.