Original scientific paper
Influence of Pre-analytical Factors on Thymus- and Activation-regulated Chemokine Quantitation in Plasma
Xuemei Zhao
; Translational Molecular Biomarkers, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ, USA
Liliana Delgado
; Translational Molecular Biomarkers, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ, USA
Russell Weiner
; Translational Molecular Biomarkers, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ, USA; Translational Sciences, Biomarkers & Companion Diagnostics, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., Edison, NJ, USA
Omar F. Laterza
; Translational Molecular Biomarkers, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ, USA
Abstract
Thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) in serum/plasma associates with the disease activity of atopic dermatitis (AD), and is a promising tool for assessing the response to the treatment of the disease. TARC also exists within platelets, with elevated levels detectable in AD patients. We examined the effects of pre-analytical factors on the quantitation of TARC in human EDTA plasma. TARC levels in platelet-free plasma were significantly lower than those in platelet-containing plasma. After freeze-thaw, TARC levels increased in platelet-containing plasma, but remained unchanged in platelet-free plasma, suggesting TARC was released from the platelets during the freeze-thaw process. In contrast, TARC levels were stable in serum independent of freeze-thaw. These findings underscore the importance of pre-analytical factors to TARC quantitation. Plasma TARC levels should be measured in platelet-free plasma for accurate quantitation. Pre-analytical factors influence the quantitation, interpretation, and implementation of circulating TARC as a biomarker for the development of AD therapeutics.
Keywords
Pharmacodynamic biomarker; Pre-analytical factors; Platelet-free plasma; Platelet-containing plasma; Freeze-thaw; Thymus; Activation-regulated chemokine; Atopic dermatitis
Hrčak ID:
161455
URI
Publication date:
1.1.2015.
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