Abstract:
Abstract: Evaluation of the stability of serum and plasma
analytes under different temperatures and time points is vital
since it significantly affects the pre-analytical errors. The aim of
the study was to determine the stability of serum total cholesterol
and triglyceride and plasma glucose of healthy individuals
under different storage conditions (25-30°C and 2-8°C) and
at different time points (1-hour, 4-hour, 6-hour, and 24-hour).
Venous blood samples were collected from healthy individuals
aged between 20-50 years after a 12-hour fast. Plasma and serum
were separated and stored at different temperatures (25-30°C
and 2-8°C) and different time points (1-hour, 4-hour, 6-hour, and
24-hour). Results indicated a significant difference between the
mean plasma glucose concentration at room temperature (25
30°C) and refrigerated temperature (2-8°C) at 1-hour (0.072%,
p = 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in
mean serum total cholesterol concentrations (p = 0.633) and
mean serum triglyceride concentrations (p = 0.246) between
these temperatures at 1-hour time point. Regarding time points
(1-hour, 4-hour, 6-hour, and 24-hour), significant differences in
plasma glucose concentrations occurred at 24-hour (10.03%, p =
0.001) at room temperature (25-30°C) and 6-hour (8.79%, p =
0.003) at refrigerated temperature (2-8°C) compared to the 1-hour
reference values. Additionally, there were significant differences
in serum total cholesterol concentration at 4-hour (12.55%, p =
0.000) and serum triglyceride at 24-hour (29.18%, p = 0.001)
compared to the reference values obtained at 1-hour at room
temperature (25-30°C). No significant differences were observed
among the time points (1-hour, 4-hour, 6-hour, and 24-hour) for
serum total cholesterol (p = 0.507) and serum triglyceride values
(p = 0.761) at refrigerated temperature (2-8°C). Plasma glucose
is unstable at both room temperature (25-30°C) and refrigeration
(2-8°C), with recommended testing within 6 hours at room
temperature (25-30°C) and stored in a refrigerator (2-8°C) if
delayed. It is better to estimate serum total cholesterol within
1-hour of collection at room temperature (25-30°C) while serum
triglyceride concentration within 6 hours at the same temperature
to obtain accurate and reliable results.
