TO THE QUESTION ABOUT THE FEATURES OF THE METHODOLOGY FOR DETERMINING LIPOCALIN-2 IN THE URINE

Abstract

THE AIM: to determine the optimal time and temperature conditions for storage and transportation of urine samples for lipocalin 2 (uNGAL) level measuring. PATIENTS AND METHODS. Levels of uNGAL analyzed by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (Abbott Laboratories, USA) in first morning void urine of 20 patients hospitalized in the Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University. Urine was transported to the laboratory in ice (+4 °C) within 15 minutes after collection and stored according to different protocols at the temperature -22 °C, +4 °C and +22 °C from four hours to seven days. RESULTS. Concentration of uNGAL is stable for four hours at room temperature (+22 °C), for two days at +4 °C, and at least one week at -22 °C. UNGAL concentration changes significantly when stored for two days at room temperature and for seven days at +4 °C. CONCLUSION. The stability of urinary NGAL concentration allows long distance transport of biological samples to specialized laboratories whereby the study may become available to a wide range of medical institutions.