Quality Assessment of the Preanalytical Workflow in Liquid Biobanking: Taurine as a Serum-Specific Quality Indicator for Preanalytical Process Variations.
Author(s): Schwarz N, Knutti N, Rose M, Neugebauer S, Geiger J, Jahns R, Klopp N, Illig T, Mathay C, Betsou F, Scherag A, Kiehntopf M
Publication: Biopreserv Biobank, 2019, Vol. , Page
PubMed ID: 31339743 PubMed Review Paper? No
Purpose of Paper
The purpose of this paper was to assess how the concentration of taurine (TAU) may differ in plasma and serum specimens after a pre-centrifugation delay, as well as to assess potential effects introduced in serum by the duration and temperature of a pre-centrifugation delay, the duration of a post-centrifugation delay, and the potential association between TAU concentration and total platelet volume.
Conclusion of Paper
Concentrations of TAU remained stable in plasma after a pre-centrifugation delay of up to 240 min at room temperature. Conversely, the concentration of TAU in serum specimens displayed a significant and progressive increase with a pre-centrifugation delay at room temperature beginning after 120 min; increases that were attenuated by storage at 4°C. A post-centrifugation delay of up to 240 min did not elicit significant changes in TAU concentration in serum specimens. The authors calculated a median TAU threshold of 160 µmol/L for serum collected from healthy individuals based on data obtained after a delay-to-centrifugation and the relationship observed with total platelet volume; a threshold that would include serum specimens that experienced a delay-to-centrifugation of up to 60 min. Results were validated using a second cohort of healthy individuals as well as patients diagnosed with a cardiologic or rheumatologic pathology.
Studies
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Study Purpose
This study investigated the potential effect of a delay-to-centrifugation on taurine (TAU) concentration in plasma and serum specimens. Blood from two different cohorts consisting of 5 and 23 healthy individuals fasting for 12 h was collected into serum tubes with clot activator and EDTA, citrate, and lithium heparin plasma tubes and subjected to a pre-centrifugation delay at room temperature of 30, 60, 120, or 240 min. Plasma and serum tubes were then centrifuged at 2500 x g for 10 min at 20°C and specimens were stored at -80°C until analysis by HPLC and LC-MS/MS. TAU concentration (µmol/L) was determined by receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) and area under the ROC (AROC). Total platelet volume was also measured. TAU concentration was plotted against total platelet volume (MPV x platelet count x 103 per µL/100) to assess the potential association between TAU concentration and platelet aggregation.
Summary of Findings:
Serum specimens that experienced a room temperature delay-to-centrifugation of 60, 120, or 240 min had Tau concentrations that were 1.3, 1.4, and 1.7-fold higher; respectively, than case-matched controls processed 30 min after collection. No delay-induced changes were observed in plasma specimens. Results were equivalent among the two specimen cohorts. A positive relationship was also observed between TAU concentration and total platelet volume, and while the linear pattern of effect was similar, progressive delays to centrifugation produced more pronounced increases in TAU concentration at higher total platelet volumes. The authors calculated a median TAU threshold of 160 µmol/L for serum collected from healthy individuals based on data obtained after a delay-to-centrifugation and the relationship observed with total platelet volume; this threshold would include serum specimens that experienced a delay-to-centrifugation of 60 min or less.
Biospecimens
Preservative Types
- Frozen
Diagnoses:
- Normal
Platform:
Analyte Technology Platform Peptide LC-MS or LC-MS/MS Peptide HPLC Pre-analytical Factors:
Classification Pre-analytical Factor Value(s) Biospecimen Aliquots and Components Blood and blood products Plasma
Serum
LC-MS or LC-MS/MS Specific Targeted peptide/protein TAU
Biospecimen Aliquots and Components Centrifugation Centrifugation delays investigated
-
Study Purpose
This study compared potential effects induced by pre- and post-centrifugation delays at room temperature on taurine (TAU) concentration in serum specimens. Blood from different cohorts consisting of 5 and 20 healthy individuals fasting for 12 h, 32 patients diagnosed with a cardiologic pathology, and 30 patients diagnosed with a rheumatologic pathology, was collected into serum tubes with clot activator and subjected to a pre-centrifugation delay at room temperature of 30, 60, 120, 240 min, or 23 h followed by a post-centrifugation delay at room temperature of 30, 60, 120, 240 min, or 48 h. Serum tubes were then centrifuged at 2500 x g for 10 min at 20°C, and specimens were stored at -80°C until analysis by HPLC and LC-MS/MS. TAU concentration (µmol/L) was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AROC).
Summary of Findings:
A pre-centrifugation delay of serum collected from the cohort of five healthy individuals displayed a pronounced increased in TAU concentration after a room temperature pre-centrifugation delay of 23 h compared to case-matched controls processed within 30 min (~250 vs 125 µmol/L). However, TAU concentrations remained stable in serum specimens that also experienced a post-centrifugation delay at room temperature of up to 48 h. Results were confirmed in the second specimen cohort with no significant change in TAU concentration among serum specimens centrifuged within 30 min and then subjected to a post-centrifugation delay at room temperature of 30, 60, 120, or 240 min. The median TAU threshold of 160 µmol/L was evaluated in the five healthy individuals of the first cohort to discriminate specimens exposed to a >60 min pre-centrifugation delay and yielded sensitivity and specificity ≥80%; expansion to include patients diagnosed with a rheumatologic or cardiologic pathology yielded slightly lower sensitivities (80% and 78%, respectively) and specificities (94% and 100%, respectively).
Biospecimens
Preservative Types
- Frozen
Diagnoses:
- Normal
- Other diagnoses
- Cardiovascular Disease
Platform:
Analyte Technology Platform Peptide LC-MS or LC-MS/MS Peptide HPLC Pre-analytical Factors:
Classification Pre-analytical Factor Value(s) LC-MS or LC-MS/MS Specific Targeted peptide/protein TAU
Biospecimen Aliquots and Components Centrifugation Centrifugation delays investigated
-
Study Purpose
This study investigated the potential effect of the temperature of a delay-to-centrifugation on taurine (TAU) concentration in serum specimens. Blood from two different cohorts consisting of 5 and 25 healthy individuals fasting for 12 h was collected into serum tubes with clot activator subjected to a pre-centrifugation delay of 30, 60, 120, or 240 min at 4°C, room temperature, or 30°C. Serum tubes were then centrifuged at 2500 x g for 10 min at 20°C, and specimens were stored at -80°C until analysis by HPLC and LC-MS/MS. TAU concentration (µmol/L) was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AROC).
Summary of Findings:
Progressive increases in the concentration of TAU was observed in serum specimens that experienced a pre-centrifugation delay at room temperature and 30°C while levels remained stable when serum was stored at 4°C for up to 240 min. These initial results obtained using serum from five individuals was confirmed with a larger cohort of 25 serum specimens that experienced a range of pre-centrifugation delays (28-178 min) at 4°C.
Biospecimens
Preservative Types
- Frozen
Diagnoses:
- Normal
Platform:
Analyte Technology Platform Peptide LC-MS or LC-MS/MS Peptide HPLC Pre-analytical Factors:
Classification Pre-analytical Factor Value(s) Biospecimen Aliquots and Components Centrifugation Centrifugation delays investigated
LC-MS or LC-MS/MS Specific Targeted peptide/protein TAU
Storage Storage temperature 4°C
Room temperature
30°C