Vitamin A (HPLC)

10 g liver or 2 mL serum. 

Serum samples with hemolysis visually estimated at over 100 mg/dL Hb will not be assayed for vitamins A or E. A useful tool for estimating hemolysis level may be found at https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/pdf/Hemolysis_Palette_Bookmark-P.pdf .  

Protect samples from light and ship to stay cold. 

Do not submit liver in formalin. Remove serum from red cells and place in an additive free transport tube.

Liver: sealed, leak-proof plastic bag or container. 

Serum: plastic or glass tube with no anticoagulant additives.

Label all samples. Ship overnight on cold packs. Samples should be protected from light immediately following collection.

Pricing for this test includes sample preparation for liver.

Samples must be received in the testing lab / location by 3:30 p.m., otherwise samples will be held until the next scheduled test day. 

Sample handling and storage are particularly important for vitamin analyses. Samples for which vitamin A is not initially requested are stored refrigerated rather than frozen and are not necessarily protected from light, which allows more rapid decomposition. Vitamin A testing added days after receipt of liver or serum will generate results that are lower than were present in the animal prior to death.