Effect of delayed plasma centrifugation on equine adrenocorticotropic hormone concentration

Plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentration is used in the diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in horses. We enrolled 10 horses, 5 PPID-positive and 5 PPID-negative, in our study, September 20-22, 2016. On day 0, 5 mL of whole blood was collected into each of 6 EDTA tubes and immediately placed in a refrigerator at 7°C. One tube was centrifuged within 15 min of collection, followed by centrifugation of one tube from each horse at 4, 8, 12, 24, and 36 h following collection. At each time, centrifuged plasma was pipetted into 1.5-mL polypropylene tubes and stored at -80°C. None of the plasma samples were turbid, hemolyzed, or icteric. Plasma was shipped frozen with cold packs overnight to the Animal Health Diagnostic Center of Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) for analysis. The percent change from baseline (PCFB) was reported to standardize the data given that baseline values differed. The mean PCFB was 2.8 (95% confidence interval: -2.9%, 7.0%). Neither refrigeration of whole blood for up to 36 h prior to centrifugation nor freezing affected plasma ACTH concentrations significantly.