Abstract
Objectives: Epidemiological studies benefit from unbiased blood specimens collected with minimal cost and effort of blood collection and storage. We evaluated the stability of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in whole blood samples stored at room temperature to justify delays in blood processing. Design and methods: Total IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels were measured in EDTA plasma ( n = 12), heparin plasma ( n = 12) and serum ( n = 10) samples of healthy volunteers after blood processing delays up till 14 days. Stability of measured IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels was tested by paired t-test and a linear mixed effect model. Results: Longitudinal analysis showed that IGF-1 levels were not significantly affected by blood processing delays in EDTA tubes ( p = 0.18) and IGFBP-3 levels were marginally stable ( p = 0.06). In heparin plasma and serum, however, IGF-1 increased over time of delayed processing and IGFBP-3 levels tended to decrease ( p < 0.01). Conclusion: Total IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 levels are stable in whole blood collected in EDTA tubes at room temperature up till 7 days, allowing a delay in blood processing to reduce costs in large multi-center studies.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
