Simple high-density lipoprotein cholesterol assay based on dry chemistry

Background: Currently, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), a factor which prevents progression of arteriosclerosis, is measured using laboratory-based chemistry analyzers without a pretreatment step. Because HDL-C is measured with a pretreatment step in many point-of-care testing systems, a direct assay is needed. Methods: A dry-chemistry-based assay using surfactants has recently been developed in parallel with the development of a dedicated reagent. A simple analyzer that accepts whole blood samples was also developed. Results: The assay demonstrated excellent precision, dilution linearity and intermethod comparison. In an interference test, assay values tended to be lower in the presence of high concentrations of hemoglobin, conjugated or unconjugated bilirubin. Neither ascorbic acid up to 20 mg/dl, nor formazin turbidity up to 2100, had an effect on the assay. Conclusions: This dry-chemistry assay using only surfactants for specificity in the direct HDL-C method was judged useful for point-of-care instrumentation in terms of equipment compactness, operational simplicity and rapid responsiveness.