Stability of phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1 in authentic and spiked whole blood.

Phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1 (PEth) is the most abundant homologue of the phosphatidylethanol group of phospholipids. Formed only in the presence of ethanol, PEth is used as a biomarker in whole blood to provide information about the consumption of alcohol. As information on the storage life of PEth is essential for its beneficial use as a biomarker, this study investigated the stability of PEth in spiked and authentic whole blood samples stored at 4°C.