Effects of sample preparation on concentrations of cyclosporin A measured in plasma.

Because cyclosporin A rapidly changes its distribution in blood with changes in temperature, sample preparation affects results for it as measured in plasma. If whole blood is stored at either 4 degrees C or room temperature, results for cyclosporin A in the plasma are lower than in whole blood stored at 37 degrees C and centrifuged at this temperature. Re-equilibration of the former to 37 degrees C before cells are removed increases the analytical recovery of cyclosporin A in plasma; the optimal equilibration interval is 30 min. Use of such re-equilibration, followed by immediate centrifugation at room temperature, increases values obtained for cyclosporin in plasma by 60 to 65% over those determined after non-temperature-standardized collection procedures, but does not significantly improve the correlation between values for plasma and whole blood. Hematocrit and concentrations of cyclosporin A in plasma are inversely related. Correction for hematocrit improves the correlation between results for plasma and whole blood.