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Stress hormone stability: processing of blood samples collected during parabolic flight. A pre-flight comparison of
Stefan Schneider1, Vera Brümmer, Heather Carnahan
1Institute of Motor Control and Movement Technique, Department of Exercise Neuroscience, German Sport University Cologne, 50933 Köln, Germany. schneider@dshs-koeln.de
Objectives:
Compare different protocols for blood processing to be used during parabolic flights.
Design And Methods:
Measurement of cortisol (COR), prolactin (PRL), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), epinephrine (EP) and norepinephrine (NOR) concentrations stored at different temperatures and intervals before analysis.
Results:
COR, PRL and NOR showed no changes in concentration between analysis protocols. ACTH dropped by 60% when not analysed within 24 h.
Conclusion:
A standardised processing protocol that includes a 4-h delay following blood collection is suitable for the assessment of serum stress hormone concentrations.
