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Creatine and creatinine quantification in olympic athletes: dried blood spot analysis pilot study
Flavio I Bachini1, Danilo Pereira2, Ruan Santos1
1Olympic Laboratory, Brazil Olympic Committee, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Biology of Sport
|August 12, 2022
Summary
Dried blood spot (DBS) samples allow easy blood collection without needles. Creatinine quantification is viable using DBS, but creatine levels are unreliable, suggesting DBS is suitable for creatinine monitoring in athletes.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Biochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling offers a minimally invasive alternative to venipuncture for blood collection.
- Accurate quantification of metabolites like creatine (Cr) and creatinine (Crt) is crucial for monitoring athlete health and performance.
- Evaluating the reliability of DBS for metabolite analysis is essential for its adoption in sports science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the viability of quantifying creatine and creatinine in capillary serum versus dried blood spot samples.
- To compare the accuracy and reliability of Flow Injection Analysis Mass Spectrometry (FIA-MS) for both sample types.
- To determine the suitability of DBS for creatine and creatinine analysis in elite athletes.
Main Methods:
- Capillary blood samples were collected from nine Olympic athletes.
- Serum and DBS samples were analyzed for creatine and creatinine concentrations using FIA-MS.
- Statistical analyses, including variance, ICC, and Bland-Altman plots, were used to compare serum and DBS results.
Main Results:
- Creatinine (Crt) quantification showed no significant difference between serum (CrtS) and DBS (CrtDBS) samples, with acceptable variance and agreement.
- Creatine (Cr) quantification revealed significant differences between serum (CrS) and DBS (CrDBS) samples, exhibiting unacceptable variance and weak agreement.
- FIA-MS proved reliable for Crt quantification in DBS but not for Cr.
Conclusions:
- Creatinine quantification using dried blood spot samples is viable and reliable, offering practical advantages for field-based collection.
- Creatine quantification using dried blood spot samples is not currently viable due to significant discrepancies with serum measurements.
- DBS sampling presents a promising, less invasive method for monitoring creatinine levels in athletes, warranting further investigation with larger sample sizes and broader analyte panels.
