Human monocyte function in vitro: influence of conditions during transport of blood from patient to laboratory.
Monocyte functional tests were carried out on samples of peripheral human blood which had been subjected to 4 different conditions of transport and temperature. There was no difference in cell viability or pinocytic, phagocytic and chemotactic activity of monocytes isolated from blood exposed to these different conditions. However, the yield of monocytes obtained after metrizoate/polysucrose centrifugation was very low when blood samples in transit were kept for 2 h at 0--4 degrees C. It is concluded that a period of transport up to 24 h is acceptable, provided the temperature of the blood sample is kept between 15 and 25 degrees C.
D000328:Adult; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection; D002469:Cell Separation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D010587:Phagocytosis; D010873:Pinocytosis