Background: Deficiency or dysfunction of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) is the underlying cause of haemophilia A. Haemophilic patients are at present treated with plasma-derived FVIII (pdFVIII) or recombinant FVIII (rFVIII) in order to correct their clotting deficiency. pdFVIII concentrates are exclusively produced from human plasma upon pooling from multiple donors. It is not know whether the presence of excess of other plasma proteins, in addition to von Willebrand factor, could stimulate untoward immune responses in the recipient. Thus, information regarding the presence of contaminants in commercial products is of concern.
Materials and methods: Two commercially available pdFVIII concentrates were characterized through SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry Emoclot and Beriate.
Results: The components of two pdFVIII products considered in this study were well identified by mass spectrometry analysis, in both cases we found abundant components coming from blood plasma, and some other contaminants. Only in Beriate we also found truncated form of pdFVIII.
Conclusion: The two pdFVIII examined showed the presence of vWF, Fibrinogen in excess, and other substances that could be considered as contaminants or impurities.
Keywords: SDS-PAGE; contaminants; haemophilia A; mass spectrometry; plasma derived FVIII.