Lipid Saver™ cards: optimized stability of retinol, α-tocopherol and CoQ10 for a non-invasive, self-collected method for monitoring antioxidant micronutrients
Antioxidants like retinol (Vitamin A), α-tocopherol (Vitamin E), and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) play a crucial role in preventing and treating diseases linked to oxidative stress. Traditionally, these compounds are measured in serum or plasma, requiring professional collection and extensive sample preparation. Dried blood spot (DBS) cards offer a more convenient, self-collection alternative that can be used at home; however, lipophilic antioxidants on conventional DBS cards are unstable when exposed to environmental factors such as UV light, temperature, and humidity, making accurate quantification challenging.
The Ahlstrom Lipid Saver™ card addresses these challenges by creating a microenvironment that minimizes oxidative degradation, ensuring the long-term stability of lipophilic antioxidants, especially during transport. Compared to standard DBS cards, Lipid Saver™ cards significantly improve the stability and reliability of lipophilic antioxidant measurements, including tocopherol and coenzyme Q10. This makes them highly valuable for clinical and nutritional research, longitudinal studies, and large-scale screening programs.