Test Catalog

Test Id : TRYPP

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Tryptophan, Plasma

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Overview

Test Catalog

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Investigating inadequate tryptophan intake and monitoring dietary treatment

Method Name
A short description of the method used to perform the test

Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

NY State Available
Indicates the status of NY State approval and if the test is orderable for NY State clients.

Yes

Reporting Name
Lists a shorter or abbreviated version of the Published Name for a test

Tryptophan, P

Aliases
Lists additional common names for a test, as an aid in searching

Tryptophan

Specimen Type
Describes the specimen type validated for testing

Plasma

Ordering Guidance

Body fluids are not acceptable specimens for this test.

For testing urine specimens, order TRYPU / Tryptophan, Random, Urine.

For testing spinal fluid specimens, order AACSF / Amino Acids, Quantitative, Spinal Fluid.

Necessary Information

1. Patient's age is required.

2. Include family history, clinical condition (asymptomatic or acute episode), diet, and drug therapy information.

Specimen Required
Defines the optimal specimen required to perform the test and the preferred volume to complete testing

Patient Preparation: Patient should fast overnight (4 hours minimum); infants should have specimen collected before next feeding (2-3 hours without total parenteral nutrition if possible).

Supplies: Sarstedt Aliquot Tube, 5 mL (T914)

Collection Container/Tube: Green top (sodium heparin)

Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial

Specimen Volume: 0.5 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. Collect specimen and place on wet ice. Note: Thrombin-activated tubes should not be used for collection.

2. Centrifuge immediately or within 4 hours of collection if the specimen is kept at refrigerated temperature.

3. Being careful to ensure that no buffy coat is transferred, aliquot plasma into a plastic vial and freeze.

Forms

Specimen Minimum Volume
Defines the amount of sample necessary to provide a clinically relevant result as determined by the testing laboratory. The minimum volume is sufficient for one attempt at testing.

0.3 mL

Reject Due To
Identifies specimen types and conditions that may cause the specimen to be rejected

Gross hemolysis OK
Gross lipemia OK
Gross icterus OK

Specimen Stability Information
Provides a description of the temperatures required to transport a specimen to the performing laboratory, alternate acceptable temperatures are also included

Specimen Type Temperature Time Special Container
Plasma Frozen 14 days

Useful For
Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful

Investigating inadequate tryptophan intake and monitoring dietary treatment

Clinical Information
Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test

Amino acids are the basic structural units that comprise proteins and are found throughout the body. Many inborn errors of amino acid metabolism have been identified, including glutaric acidemia type 1, which affect other metabolic activities. Amino acid disorders can manifest at any time in a person's life, but most become evident in infancy or early childhood. These disorders result in the accumulation or the deficiency of 1 or more amino acids in biological fluids, which leads to the clinical signs and symptoms of the particular amino acid disorder.

 

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid necessary for the synthesis of serotonin, melatonin, and niacin. Low plasma concentrations of tryptophan have been associated with clinical observations of insomnia, anxiety, and depression.

 

Glutaric acidemia type 1 is an autosomal recessive disorder of tryptophan and lysine metabolism caused by a deficiency of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential to help prevent encephalopathic crises leading to brain degeneration. These can be provoked by infections, trauma, fever, and fasting. Treatment consists of preventing neurodegeneration through L-carnitine supplementation and strict adherence to an emergency protocol. Dietary protein, particularly lysine and tryptophan, is restricted during the vulnerable period of brain development from 0 to 5 years of age. In addition to other indices of malnutrition, the measurement of plasma concentration of tryptophan is used as an indicator of appropriate dietary therapy.

Reference Values
Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.

<24 months: 12-103 nmol/mL

2 years-17 years: 21-114 nmol/mL

> or =18 years: 21-108 nmol/mL

Interpretation
Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results

If the result is within the respective age-matched reference range, no interpretation is provided. When an abnormal result is reported, an interpretation may be added, including a correlation to available clinical information, elements of differential diagnosis, and recommendations for additional biochemical testing, if applicable.

Cautions
Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances

Abnormal plasma concentrations of tryptophan are not diagnostic for a specific disorder and must be interpreted in the context of a patient's clinical presentation and other laboratory results.

Clinical Reference
Recommendations for in-depth reading of a clinical nature

1. Klaessens S, Stroobant V, De Plaen E, Van den Eynde BJ. Systemic tryptophan homeostasis. Front Mol Biosci. 2022;9:897929

2. Larson A, Goodman S. Glutaric acidemia type 1. In: Adam MP, Feldman J, Mirzaa GM, et al, eds. GeneReviews [Internet]. University of Washington, Seattle; 2019. Accessed April 22, 2024. Available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546575/

3. Goodman SI, Frerman FE. Organic acidemias due to defects in lysine oxidation: 2-ketoadipic acidemia and glutaric acidemia. In: Valle DL, Antonarakis S, Ballabio A, Beaudet AL, Mitchell GA. eds. The Online Metabolic and Molecular Bases of Inherited Disease. McGraw Hill; 2019. Accessed April 22, 2024. https://ommbid.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=2709&sectionid=225086303

Method Description
Describes how the test is performed and provides a method-specific reference

Quantitative analysis of amino acids is performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Patient samples are combined with isotopically labeled internal standard. Following protein precipitation, the supernatant is subjected to hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography for the separation of isomers with MS/MS detection of the underivatized amino acids.(Unpublished Mayo method)

PDF Report
Indicates whether the report includes an additional document with charts, images or other enriched information

No

Day(s) Performed
Outlines the days the test is performed. This field reflects the day that the sample must be in the testing laboratory to begin the testing process and includes any specimen preparation and processing time before the test is performed. Some tests are listed as continuously performed, which means that assays are performed multiple times during the day.

Monday through Friday

Report Available
The interval of time (receipt of sample at Mayo Clinic Laboratories to results available) taking into account standard setup days and weekends. The first day is the time that it typically takes for a result to be available. The last day is the time it might take, accounting for any necessary repeated testing.

3 to 5 days

Specimen Retention Time
Outlines the length of time after testing that a specimen is kept in the laboratory before it is discarded

2 weeks

Performing Laboratory Location
Indicates the location of the laboratory that performs the test

Rochester

Fees
Several factors determine the fee charged to perform a test. Contact your U.S. or International Regional Manager for information about establishing a fee schedule or to learn more about resources to optimize test selection.

  • Authorized users can sign in to Test Prices for detailed fee information.
  • Clients without access to Test Prices can contact Customer Service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Prospective clients should contact their account representative. For assistance, contact Customer Service.

Test Classification
Provides information regarding the medical device classification for laboratory test kits and reagents. Tests may be classified as cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and used per manufacturer instructions, or as products that do not undergo full FDA review and approval, and are then labeled as an Analyte Specific Reagent (ASR) product.

This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

CPT Code Information
Provides guidance in determining the appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code(s) information for each test or profile. The listed CPT codes reflect Mayo Clinic Laboratories interpretation of CPT coding requirements. It is the responsibility of each laboratory to determine correct CPT codes to use for billing.

CPT codes are provided by the performing laboratory.

82131

LOINC® Information
Provides guidance in determining the Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) values for the order and results codes of this test. LOINC values are provided by the performing laboratory.

Test Id Test Order Name Order LOINC Value
TRYPP Tryptophan, P 20659-9
Result Id Test Result Name Result LOINC Value
Applies only to results expressed in units of measure originally reported by the performing laboratory. These values do not apply to results that are converted to other units of measure.
82955 Tryptophan 20659-9
34619 Interpretation (TRYPP) 59462-2
38056 Reviewed By 18771-6

Test Setup Resources

Setup Files
Test setup information contains test file definition details to support order and result interfacing between Mayo Clinic Laboratories and your Laboratory Information System.

Excel | Pdf

Sample Reports
Normal and Abnormal sample reports are provided as references for report appearance.

Normal Reports | Abnormal Reports

SI Sample Reports
International System (SI) of Unit reports are provided for a limited number of tests. These reports are intended for international account use and are only available through MayoLINK accounts that have been defined to receive them.

SI Normal Reports | SI Abnormal Reports

Test Update Resources

Change Type Effective Date
Test Changes - Reference Value 2024-06-17