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Published on: March 1, 2011
The impact of sample processing on inflammatory markers in serum: Lessons learned
Alexander Y Pan1, Euijung Ryu2, Jennifer R Geske2
1Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Insights
Processing delays significantly impact inflammatory cytokine levels in blood samples. This is crucial for biomarker research using biobanked samples, affecting results for conditions like bipolar disorder.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Immunology
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Inflammatory cytokines are key biomarkers for various diseases, including bipolar disorder (BD).
- Biobanks are increasingly used for large-scale biomarker research, but sample handling can affect results.
- Standardized sample collection and processing are vital for reliable biomarker studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess how sample handling, specifically pre-processing time, affects inflammatory cytokine concentrations in serum.
- To identify challenges in using pre-collected biobank samples for biomarker research.
- To investigate cytokine differences in bipolar disorder patients compared to controls.
Main Methods:
- Cytokine concentrations (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNFα, IFNγ) were measured in serum from 205 BD patients and 205 controls.
- Post-hoc analyses examined the influence of clinical variables and pre-processing time on cytokine levels.
- An experimental study assessed cytokine changes in serum and plasma from healthy volunteers processed at different time points.
Main Results:
- Significantly higher cytokine levels were observed in the bipolar disorder group.
- Cytokine levels and pre-processing times varied by recruitment site, with pre-processing time associated with several cytokines.
- Experimental validation confirmed that longer pre-processing times increased concentrations of most measured cytokines.
Conclusions:
- Delays in blood sample processing demonstrably alter inflammatory cytokine concentrations.
- Researchers must carefully evaluate sample collection and handling protocols when utilizing biobanked samples for biomarker studies.
- Standardizing pre-processing times is essential for accurate and reproducible biomarker research.
Abstract:
Objectives: To investigate the effect of sample handling on inflammatory cytokines in serum and highlight challenges with using samples pre-collected from biobanks for biomarker research.Methods: Cytokine concentrations (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNFα, and IFNγ) were measured in serum samples of 205 patients with bipoldar disorder (BD) from the Mayo Clinic Bipolar Disorder Biobank and 205 non-psychiatric controls from the Mayo Clinic Biobank. As cytokine concentrations varied by recruitment site, post-hoc models were used to test the effect of clinical variables and pre-processing time on cytokines. To evaluate the effect of pre-processing time experimentally, cytokines were assayed in serum and plasma from 6 healthy volunteers processed at different time points.Results: Cytokine levels were significantly higher in the BD group. However, both cytokine levels and pre-processing times differed by recruitment site, and post-hoc analyses revealed that pre-processing time was significantly associated with several cytokines. An experiment using samples from healthy volunteers confirmed that concentrations for most cytokines increased with longer pre-processing times.Conclusions: Delays in processing influence cytokine concentrations in blood samples. Given the increasing use of biobanks in research, this study highlights the need to carefully evaluate sample collection and handling methods when designing biomarker studies.
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