Evaluation of the plasma quality after filtration

BACKGROUND AND THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The quality of some of the human plasma derived drugs such as coagulation factor VIII and coagulation factor IX which can be used for the treatment of hemophilia A and B, depends on their activity which may be affected by filtration. In this study the quality of plasma with respect to coagulation factors FVII, FVIII, FIX, FV, FXI, Fibrinogen, antithrombin III, anti-plasmin and antitrypsin activities obtained after plasma filtration with CPD (citrate-phosphate-dextrose) using integral filter was evaluated. METHODS: Sixty units of plasma were individually separated from whole blood by centrifugation and immediately filtered by integral filter system. Specific plasma filtration was carried out between 4 and 20 hrs after blood donation. Before filtration, 60 units of non filtered fresh plasmas were kept as control. Coagulation factors were determined by one-stage clotting assay in an automated system. Antithrombin III activity was determined by immunochrom assay in an automated system. Activity of anti-plasmin was determined by Berichrom α(2)-antiplasmin and antitrypsin activity was assayed with human neutrophil elastase. RESULTS: The activity of coagulation factors FVIII, FIX, Fibrinogen, FV, and FXI, were not affected by filtration, in all experiments. Filtration only caused negligible change in FVII activity. Antithrombin III, anti-plasmin and antitrypsin activities were not influenced by filtration. Nonfiltrated and filtrated plasma values were not significantly different (P> 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma filtration dose not result in a measurable impairment of coagulation factors and inhibitors. Although a little changes in FVII activity was observed after filtration, but these filtration-dependent changes apparently have no impact on the therapeutic quality of whole blood- filtered fresh plasma for transfusion.