Abstract

Plastic
storage tubes are used in laboratories worldwide to store biological and
chemical samples. As most plastics are supplied sterile, pyrogen- and
DNAse/RNAse-free, it is generally accepted that this guarantees product
integrity. Few researchers ever consider that despite these apparent guarantees,
plastic ware can still provide a potential source of error. Evidence shows that
bioactive compounds can diffuse into solutions that come into contact with the
surface of the plastic ^1,2. These compounds, typically referred to as “leachables” or
“extractables”, are used during the manufacturing process to improve product
stability and durability. However, these compounds can have a significant
impact on scientific experiments and pose a likely source of error in many
assay systems. Examples of leachable interference include inhibition of enzyme
activity and falsification of nucleic acid quantification. The aim of this
evaluation was to determine if “extractables” could be detected in solvent
solutions stored in FluidX external thread tubes and to compare the performance
against competitor tubes.

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