The quality control of alkaline phosphatase determinations with placental phosphatase

Influence of inorganic phosphate on the activity determination of isoenzymes of alkaline phosphatase in various buffer systems

The inhibitory effect of inorganic phosphate on the activity determination of isoenzymes of alkaline phosphatase (AP) in diethanolamine (DEA), glycine and 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propandiol (AMPD) buffer was studied. This effect depends on the buffer used and isoenzyme investigated. Especially the placental isoenzyme is inhibited; the inhibitory effect in DEA buffer is stronger than in the other buffers used. The requirement of purity for 4-nitrophenylphosphate with respect to its content of inorganic phosphate and conclusions for using control sera enriched with AP isoenzymes are discussed.

Problems associated with clinical chemistry quality control materials

Quality control methods and materials are widely used to monitor each and every facet of clinical chemistry laboratory performance. Quality control materials are also used in evaluation of methods and as secondary standards. A wide range of liquid and lyophilized materials are available from commercial sources and are prepared in individual laboratories. Many problems arise in the use of quality control materials. Problems discussed in this review include the use of nonhuman based materials and additives of animal origin, the physical and chemical characteristics of quality control materials that differentiate such samples from those from patients, attempts to generate quality control materials with elevated levels of particular analytes, the difficulties in handling and storage of quality control materials, the dangers of hepatitis, and the stability of quality control materials both during storage in the laboratory and after their reconstitution. The advantages and disadvantages of liquid and lyophilized quality control materials are discussed. The assignation of analyte values is of particular importance as the current trend is to consider inaccuracy of laboratory methods in addition to imprecision. This review assesses relevant publications in an area of fundamental importance to quality control in clinical chemistry.

Suitability of commercial control sera for the quality control of activity determination of alkaline phosphatase

The suitability of thirteen commercially available control sera for measuring alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1; orthophosphoric acid monoester phosphohydrolase, ALP) activity in human serum was tested. Apart from differences in ALP activity observed in some reconstituted commercial sera, the behaviour of control materials towards experimental variables such as the nature and concentration of the substrate, pH and type of buffer (or PO4-acceptor) together with the composition of the isoenzymes present in human serum highlights the problems and difficulties if commercial materials are to be used as control sera. The half-saturation constants in control sera were in all cases smaller than those of ALP isoenzymes from bone and liver. The shape of substrate activity curves and the pH optimum in most of control sera differed from that of human serum. The discrepant kinetic data of control materials and human serum may mask or suggest changes relevant to commercial quality control serum but not to samples of human serum.