The effect on creatinine kinase activity of freezing plasma from healthy foals.

The research sought to investigate how stable creatine kinase (CK) activity is in plasma from healthy foals when frozen at -20 degrees C for up to 12 weeks. The findings revealed that the CK activity reduced significantly over time but the decrease was clinically inconsequential.

Objective of the Study

• This study aimed to gauge the stability of creatine kinase (CK) activity in the plasma derived from healthy foals, that has been stored frozen at -20 degrees Celsius for as long as 12 weeks.

Methods Employed in the Study

• The researchers collected venous blood samples from 25 foals, and the samples were promptly analyzed for creatine kinase activity.
• The same plasma samples were frozen at -20 degrees Celsius and analyzed again for CK activity after 1 week and 12 weeks respectively.

Findings of the Study

• The CK activity decreased significantly (p<0.001) from Week 0 (at the time of sample collection) to Week 1, and from Week 0 to Week 12.
• This decrease in CK activity was statistically significant, confirming that the drop in CK levels was not by random chance but a consistent pattern observed across different samples.

Conclusions from the Study

• The decline in CK activity, though statistically significant, was found to be clinically insignificant. This implies that while the CK activity did reduce upon freezing and storage over weeks, this reduction would not have any significant clinical implications or affect any CK-based diagnostic procedures or interpretations.
• Overall, the study suggests that under such freezing conditions, CK in the plasma of healthy foals maintains enough stability over a long-term period to be effectively used in diagnostic processes.