We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
It takes acid, rather than ice, to freeze glucose.
- Authors
van den Berg, S. A. A.; Thelen, M. H. M.; Salden, L. P. W.; van Thiel, S. W.; Boonen, K. J. M.
- Abstract
Plasma glucose levels provide the cornerstone of diabetes evaluation. Unfortunately, glucose levels drop in vitro due to glycolysis. Guidelines provide suitable conditions which minimize glycolysis, such as immediate centrifugation or the use of ice/water slurry storage containers. For obvious practical reasons, most laboratories use blood collection tubes containing glycolysis inhibitors. We describe the effect of a variety of commonly used blood collection tubes on in vitro stability of glucose. Furthermore, we looked at the validity of the assumption that glycolytic activity is minimal when blood is kept in an ice/water slurry. Sodium fluoride alone does not reduce in vitro glycolysis in the first 120 minutes after phlebotomy. Addition of citrate almost completely prevented in vitro glycolysis, but showed a positive bias (0.2 mmol/l) compared to control. This is partly due to a small drop in glucose level in control blood, drawn according to the current guidelines. This drop occurs within 15 minutes, in which glycolysis has been described to be minimal and acceptable. NaF-EDTA-citrate based test tubes provide the best pre-analytical condition available. Furthermore, glucose levels are not stable in heparinized blood placed in an ice/water slurry. We strongly advise the use of NaF-EDTA-citrate based test tubes in diabetes research.
- Subjects
GLYCOGENOLYSIS; SODIUM fluoride; PRESERVATION of organs, tissues, etc.; BINARY operations; ALKALI metals
- Publication
Scientific Reports, 2015, p8875
- ISSN
2045-2322
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/srep08875