Effect of plasma triglyceride concentrations on the accuracy of immunoturbidimetric assays of apolipoprotein B

We have studied the influence of triglyceride-rich particles on the analytical bias of apolipoprotein B measurements by various immunoturbidimetric methods. Three commercially available methods grossly overestimate apolipoprotein B in samples with even moderately above-normal triglyceride concentrations. This effect is due to the increased relative reactivity of very-low-density lipoproteins in these reagent systems, and can be eliminated by including Tween 20 (2 g/L) in the reagent buffer. We have developed, and describe, an automated immunoturbidimetric method that allows the accurate determination of apolipoprotein B in the plasma of patients with hypertriglyceridemia.