Influence of anticoagulants on the measurement of S100B protein in blood

Objective Evaluate anticoagulants influence on plasma S100B levels. Design and methods Blood were collected from 18 healthy adult subjects using: no anticoagulants, EDTA, heparin, and citrate. S100B levels were determined using LIA-mat assay. Results Heparin plasma and citrate increased plasma S100B levels (p< 0.001), whereas EDTA had no effect (p = 0.24). Heparin plasma samples were highly (r2 = 0.97, p< 0.001), citrate samples were moderately (r2 = 0.49, p< 0.001), and EDTA samples were not (r2 = 0.22, p = 0.059) correlated with serum samples. Conclusion When anticoagulant is required, heparin plasma should be the primary choice for measurement of S100 B levels.