Lyophilization as pre-processing for sample storage in the determination of vitamin D3 and metabolites in serum and plasma

Abstract Determination of vitamin D levels in human biological specimens has gained a high relevance over the last decades, essentially because low levels have been associated with several biological disorders. In fact, vitamin D deficiency has become a worldwide health concern covering all ages and genders. The storage of biofluids has to be considered for determination of vitamin D and metabolites in order to fully preserve matrices status. This study attempts to evaluate lyophilization of serum and plasma as a pre-processing step for sample storage prior to quantitative analysis of vitamin D3 and its main hydroxylated metabolites −25(OH)D3, 24,25(OH)2D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3. The protocol including sample lyophilization was characterized in terms of analytical features and compared to the same method, based on SPE–LC–MS/MS, without lyophilization. Sensitivity, precision and accuracy were not affected when we operated with lyophilized serum and plasma and results provided by a set of twenty-four serum samples from DEQAS (Vitamin D External Quality Assessment Scheme) were in agreement with reported concentrations for 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3. A stability study programmed for 9 months allowed ensuring that the concentration of vitamin D3 and metabolites in lyophilized serum and plasma stored at room temperature was not affected during this period. This research has demonstrated that the quantitation of target metabolites is not under the influence of lyophilization. Therefore, including lyophilization prior to analysis could reduce shipment and storage costs, avoid delays of sample processing, and increase the stability of the target analytes due to an effective quenching process.