Abstract
The glycerol-blanked triglyceride measurement method is widely used for the clinical measurement of serum glyceride concentrations in Japan, as stated by the Japanese Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC). By contrast, isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry has been adopted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the reference measurement procedure for total glycerides. Values measured by the JSCC transferable method may be affected by heparin. The aim of this study is to clarify the difference in measured values between the JSCC transferable method and the total glyceride measurement method, particularly in serum from heparin-treated patients. In 111 healthy subjects, the mean serum free-glycerol level was estimated to be 4.56 ± 3.48 mg/dL (conversion to triolein). The 24-h storage of serum samples from 15 healthy subjects at either 4 or 25°C had negligible effects on values measured by both methods. In serum samples from 12 heparin-treated patients, however, the measured values decreased to 93.3 ± 7.1% after 24-h storage at 4°C, and to 69.4 ± 16.1% after 24-h storage at 25°C, when measured by the JSCC transferable method, but not by the total glycerides measurement method. Such decreases in measured values were also observed in serum samples from hemodialysis patients treated with heparin, when measured by the JSCC transferable method, but not by the total glyceride measurement method. These findings indicate that the total glyceride measurement method is more valuable, particularly in the measurement of serum samples obtained from heparin-treated patients.
