The accumulation of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TRL) particles or lipemia causes turbidity in the patient sample. As lipoproteins vary in sizes, not all classes contribute equally to turbidity. The largest particles, chylomicrons, with particle diameters of 60–1000 nm, have the greatest potential to cause turbidity, but VLDL (27-60 nm), IDL (23-27 nm), and LDL (18-27) nm also contribute.
To test for lipemia interference with laboratory tests, a stable lipid emulsion (Intralipid™) is commonly used. Intralipid is made from soybean oil, egg lecithin, glycerin, and water, but does not strictly behave like human TRLs in causing interference.
A better alternative for assessing lipemia interference is human TRL from Sun Diagnostics (INT-01T). Our material is made from pooled human sera and contains a heterogeneous mix of lipoproteins as shown in the Table below and stabilized in sucrose and sodium chloride.
| Triglycerides | >15,000 | mg/dL |
| CM+VLDL, Total | 8493 | nmol/L |
| CM+Large VLDL | 822 | nmol/L |
| Medium VLDL | 4775 | nmol/L |
| Small VLDL | 2895 | nmol/L |
| LDL, Total | 25,500 | nmol/L |
| IDL | 5250 | nmol/L |
| Large LDL | 1083 | nmol/L |
| Small LDL | 19,167 | nmol/L |
| Average VLDL Size | 55.7 | nm |
| Average LDL Size | 19.9 | nm |
Because the material is concentrated, an approximate 10-fold dilution will yield a test concentration of 1500 mg/dL triglycerides or a 15-fold dilution will yield a test concentration of 1000 mg/dL triglycerides.
The use of Sun Diagnostics TRL provides a realistic simulation of lipemia for more accurate interference assessment.