TABLE 1.
Effect of E. coli LPS concentration and dilution of blood on induction of TNF-α by the whole-blood methoda
| LPS concn (ng/ml) | Blood dilution (fold) | Mean TNF-α concn (pg/ml) | Mean CV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 10 | 459 | 0.47 |
| 100 | 5 | 634 | 0.51 |
| 10 | 10 | 348 | 0.45 |
| 10 | 5 | 423 | 0.46 |
a
Means and CV refer to values obtained from three weekly measurements in specimens from eight donors. All pairwise comparisons of TNF-α concentrations obtained under the conditions described above were significant (P < 0.01 after Bonferroni’s adjustment) except for LPS at 100 ng/ml with a 10-fold blood dilution versus LPS at 10 ng/ml with a 5-fold blood dilution. The CV were not significantly different.