Mechanism of platelet interference with measurement of lactate dehydrogenase activity in plasma

Platelets reportedly inhibit lactate dehydrogenase activity in plasma under reaction conditions of low osmolality. We describe observations inconsistent with these reports, and we attribute this "inhibition" to optical interference by platelets during the course of a reaction. We conclude that when platelet lysis is prevented and the optical interference of platelets corrected, platelet-rich plasma, platelet-poor plasma, and serum show essentially the same lactate dehydrogenase activity. Furthermore, platelet contamination can cause unexpected problems when lactate dehydrogenase is assayed with centrifugal analyzers. Results can be high or low, depending on the volume of diluent pipetted with the sample, and extreme within-run variations in activity are possible. When plasma is used instead of serum for routine analyses, regular checks for platelet contamination should be performed as a quality-control procedure, especially by laboratories separating plasma with bench-top centrifuges. Platelets can also interfere optically with assay of other enzymes and metabolites.