Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
08:26
Measuring the 50% Haemolytic Complement CH50 Activity of Serum
Published on: March 29, 2010
37.7K
Complement function and activation in human serum and plasma collected in different blood collection tubes
Linnea I Andersson1, Dick J Sjöström1, Ricardo J M G E Brandwijk2
1Linnaeus Centre for Biomaterials Chemistry, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden; Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden.
Journal of Immunological Methods
|February 8, 2025
Summary
Proper blood collection is vital for complement analysis. Serum tubes with thrombin and gel separators show high activation, but functional activity remains normal. Lepirudin plasma is best for complement activation studies.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Clinical Chemistry
Background:
- Accurate complement analysis requires strict pre-analytical blood handling.
- Variations in collection tubes and additives can impact complement activation and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare complement function and activation across different serum and plasma preparations.
- To determine the optimal blood collection method for complement studies.
Main Methods:
- Collected serum and plasma from healthy volunteers using various tube types (glass, silica, thrombin, EDTA, lepirudin).
- Analyzed complement function using Wieslab and Hycult Biotech assays.
- Quantified complement activation markers (C1s/C1-INH, MASP-1/C1-INH, C3bc, C3bBbP, sC5b-9).
Main Results:
- All serum preparations showed increased complement activation compared to plasma.
- Serum tubes with thrombin and gel separators exhibited the highest activation levels.
- Complement function remained normal across all serum preparations despite activation.
Conclusions:
- While serum tubes provide accurate functional activity, additives and gel separators significantly increase complement activation.
- For functional serum, use glass or silica tubes without gel separators.
- Lepirudin plasma is recommended for complement activation studies due to low activation and preserved function.
