We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Abbott Diagnostics

Abbott Diagnostics provides medical diagnostic instruments, tests, automation and informatics solutions, including cl... read more Featured Products: More products

Download Mobile App




Long-Term Storage Stability of Corticotropin Investigated

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 20 Dec 2021
Corticotropin (adrenocorticotropic hormone, ACTH) is a 39-residue polypeptide tropic hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland following hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone release. Corticotropin is notorious for its instability.

Cortisol regulates ACTH release via a negative feedback loop. Measurements of plasma ACTH are crucial for differential diagnosis of endocrine disorders including Cushing’s syndrome and adrenal insufficiency but can be complicated by both preanalytical and analytical factors.

Clinical Biochemists at Amsterdam University (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and their colleagues investigated the long-term storage stability of corticotropin in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid containing plasma. Plasma specimens were obtained from 20 healthy American subjects that were either neat or spiked with ACTH (22–1,866 pg/ml). Plasma specimens were also obtained from Dutch patients visiting the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands), between 2012 and 2013 for various indications.

Individual specimens were assayed on the day of processing (month 0) and five times (at 1, 3, 9, 12, and 18 months) following storage at both −20 °C and −70 °C in five replicates each. Specimens were thawed once on the laboratory countertop at room temperature, mixed by gentle inversion and centrifuged at 3,000×g for 5 minutes Afterwards they were kept at room temperature and quickly analyzed. ACTH results were generated on the ARCHITECT i2000SR automated immunoassay instrument system (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA). The team also used a chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) that uses two monoclonal antibodies of which the Liaison capture antibody that is coated to magnetic particles and the detection antibody is linked to an isoluminol derivative (Diasorin, Salugia, Italy).

The team reported that storing human plasma specimens for up to one and a half years at −20 °C or −70 °C had limited influence on the ACTH levels in these specimens measured by the ARCHITECT ACTH assay. In both neat and spiked specimens at the two storage conditions, ACTH levels remained relatively stable over time with only minimal changes in ACTH levels (<11%). Storing specimens for up to four or six years did significantly reduce detectable ACTH levels in native patient plasma specimens. After four years of storage at −20 °C, ACTH levels were 74.8%, whereas after six years of storage ACTH levels were only 46.2% of the original ACTH levels measured using the Liaison immunoassay.

The authors concluded that corticotropin levels are stable in plasma when stored at −20 °C for one and a half years using the Abbott assay, but with longer storage time a significant reduction in corticotropin levels can be expected. Once specimens are stored for future corticotropin measurements, one should consider storage time, storage temperature and assay differences. The study was originally published on October 13, 2021 in the journal Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

Related Links:
Amsterdam University
Amsterdam University Medical Centers
Abbott Laboratories
Diasorin



Gold Member
Pharmacogenetics Panel
VeriDose Core Panel v2.0
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Binocular Laboratory LED Illuminated Microscope
HumaScope Classic LED
New
HIV-1 Test
HIV-1 Real Time RT-PCR Kit
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get complete access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The experimental blood test accurately indicates severity and predicts potential recovery from spinal cord injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Blood Test Identifies Multiple Biomarkers for Rapid Diagnosis of Spinal Cord Injury

The National Institutes of Health estimates that 18,000 individuals in the United States sustain spinal cord injuries (SCIs) annually, resulting in a staggering financial burden of over USD 9.... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The findings were based on patients from the ADAURA clinical trial of the targeted therapy osimertinib for patients with NSCLC with EGFR-activated mutations (Photo courtesy of YSM Multimedia Team)

Post-Treatment Blood Test Could Inform Future Cancer Therapy Decisions

In the ongoing advancement of personalized medicine, a new study has provided evidence supporting the use of a tool that detects cancer-derived molecules in the blood of lung cancer patients years after... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: Schematic representation illustrating the key findings of the study (Photo courtesy of UNIST)

Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours

Rapid and precise identification of pathogenic microbes in patient samples is essential for the effective treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as sepsis. The fluorescence in situ hybridization... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: Tumor-associated macrophages visualized using the Multiomic LS Assay (Photo courtesy of ACD)

Leica Biosystems and Bio-Techne Expand Spatial Multiomic Collaboration

Bio-Techne Corporation (Minneapolis, MN, USA) has expanded the longstanding partnership between its spatial biology brand, Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD, Newark, CA, USA), and Leica Biosystems (Nussloch,... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.