Storage of Gamma-Glutamyltransferase from Dried Serum Spots: Matrix for Field Based Studies

Background: Gamma-glutamyltransferase is recognised as a biomarker to assess the harms associated with alcohol misuse. The objective ways to measure GGT in areas lacking central lab facilities are desirable. This study aims to measure GGT from dried serum spots and its storage from dried serum spots. Method: The study was approved by the institutional ethical committee. One hundred and eighty (180) patients were included in the study. Their blood samples were collected. The serum samples were spotted onto filter paper (Whatman 903) dried and stored at 4°C. The GGT levels were measured on the day of collection and at various time periods to assess the effect of storage. All the analysis was performed on SPSS version 21. Result: The GGT levels measured from fresh serum GGT levels mean (SD) 286.5 (539.4) correlated well with their respective dried serum levels 287.18 (538.2) (P = 0.80). The mean recovery of GGT from dried serum was observed to be 103.3%. A sub-sample (n = 12) was stored at 4°C. The dried serum spots were found to be stable at the end of four weeks using repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) (P = 0.39). Conclusion: This method has the potential to be used for epidemiological or field based studies to assess harms associated with alcohol use.