Neuron-specific enolase is an enzyme present in the body in two isoforms. The γγ homodimer is found in cells of the central nervous system, while the αγ heterodimer can also be detected in other body cells, including red blood cells and platelets. Because neuron-specific enolase is present in red blood cells, even mild, practically invisible hemolysis can cause falsely elevated concentrations of neuron-specific enolase. This may lead to misinterpretation of the patient’s clinical condition and consequently to inappropriate diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. The aim of our study was to develop a correction equation to adjust the measured concentrations of neuron-specific enolase in hemolyzed samples, or alternatively, to modify existing models from the literature. The study included 22 participants. For each participant, six dilution series of hemolyzed samples and four hemolyzed whole-blood samples were prepared. Neuron-specific enolase concentrations were determined using an electrochemiluminescence method, while the hemolysis index was measured photometrically. Regression coefficients and other numerical constants of three known equations were adjusted, and one of them was upgraded to develop a new version of the correction equation: c_(NSE corrected)=c_(NSE measured) -HI×0,34× (1-0,07/0,34 )^(1/2). The results showed that none of the four tested equations completely eliminated the influence of hemolysis. In diluted hemolyzed samples the best corrections at low hemolysis index were obtained using the newly developed equation and the equation adjusted according to the Ruiz model, however the latter is not suitable for clinical use due to methodological limitations. It turned out that none of the four tested equations were suitable for hemolyzed whole-blood samples, suggesting the presence of an additional factor influencing the concentration of neuron-specific enolase in these samples. We demonstrated a linear relationship between neuron-specific enolase concentration and the hemolysis index (R² = 0.8647) and that each unit of hemolysis (1 HI = 1 mg/dL) contributes 0.34 ± 0.06 μg/L of neuron-specific enolase released from red blood cells. No correlation was found between the mass of neuron-specific enolase in a red blood cell and age, sex, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, or mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration.
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