Of the hemoglobins normally present in an adult, Hb A migrates the fastest, followed by Hb F. Hb A2 moves only slightly from the point of origin near the cathode.
Abnormal hemoglobins show the following migration patterns:
- Hb C migrates with Hb A2 near the cathode.
- Hb E and Hb O also migrate with A2 and C.
- Hb S lies between Hb A2 and Hb F.
- Hb D and Hb G migrate with S making accurate diagnosis difficult.
- Hb H and Bart's hemoglobin are unstable and very fast moving, with Hb H being the faster of the two. They are located nearer the anode past Hb A.
Relative migrations of hemoglobin variants on alkaline electrophoresis are illustrated below. The application point is indicated by the arrow.
