JISCMail - ACB-CLIN-CHEM-GEN Archives

Gareth Llewelyn ap Huw Jones
Principal Clinical Scientist
Clinical Biochemistry UCLH
3rd Floor, 60 Whitfield Street
London W1T 4EU

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(t) 0845 155 5000 x2972
(f) 0203 447 9584
www.uclh.nhs.uk/biochemistry

Dear brain trust,

Yesterday I was doing an extraction in blood using 90:10 Hexane:ethyl acetate (4ml). After mixing (pretty vigorously for 10 minutes) and spinning I had a lovely layer of cells at the bottom of my tube and a large layer of jelly above. The hexane/ethyl acetate mixture had formed a gel with something in the blood. My question is this: what is it in the blood that causes the gel formation and why does it only happen in some samples (it happened in 4 of 40 samples yesterday but normally nothing happens at all, I just end up with a nice layer of hexane/ethyl acetate and a layer of blood at the bottom). All samples are treated the same and mixed at the same time on a vibramixer. I have noticed something similar when extracting with diethyl ether too.

My only thoughts is that the hydrophobic solvent crashes the proteins out of solution which then all bind to each other in a random disorganised manner thus forming a gel. The samples are post mortem and in fluoride oxalate tubes.

Anyway, I thought someone out there might have a proper answer.

Simon

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