ABSTRACT
High density lipoprotein (HDL) can be quantitated by measurement of cholesterol in supernates after precipitation of low and very low density lipoprotein (LDL and VLDL) with heparin and Mn(2+). Supernatant turbidity, often observed with hypertriglyceridemic specimens, indicates incomplete sedimentation of LDL/VLDL and precludes accurate quantitation of HDL. Ten Lipid Research Clinic Laboratories compared an ultrafiltration technique for clearing turbid heparin-Mn(2+) supernates to current methods involving repeat precipitation of either the original specimen after dilution or the d > 1.006 g/ml fraction after removal of VLDL from the initial specimen by ultracentrifugation. Results for ultrafiltration of 429 turbid supernates averaged only slightly higher (1.0-1.1 mg/dl) than results by the dilution or ultracentrifugation methods on the same specimens, but this difference was found to be significant (P < 0.005). The agreement of the ultrafiltration method with the other two methods is indicated by the following linear regression equations: a), ultrafiltration = (0.964 x ultracentrifugation) + 2.4 mg/dl, and correlation coefficient = 0.926; and b), ultrafiltration = (0.936 x dilution) + 3.3 mg/dl, and correlation coefficient = 0.933. We conclude that ultrafiltration of turbid heparin-Mn(2+) supernates is a convenient alternative to precipitation after either dilution or removal of VLDL.-Warnick, G. R., J. J. Albers, P. Bachorik, J. Turner, C. Garcia, C. Breckinridge, K. Kuba, S. McNeely, G. Hillerman, P. King, R. Muesing, B. Most, and K. Lippel. Multi-laboratory evaluation of an ultrafiltration procedure for high density lipoprotein cholesterol quantification in turbid heparin-manganese supernates.
