Asolectin separation of prothrombin from proconvertin.

All reported adsorbents of prothrombin simultaneously adsorb proconvertin, and practically all described techniques of elution have resulted in their simultaneous release from these adsorbents. In this paper we present information about a material selectively removing prothrombin from an eluate containing prothrombin, proconvertin, and hemophilia B factor (PTC, Christmas factor). The substance exhibiting this unique behavior is asolectin. In another communication (1) we have reported that suitable concentrations of asolectin used with the described technique selectively adsorb proaccelerin from citrated human plasma. Greater concentrations of asolectin, however, led to the loss of prothrombin and still greater concentrations to marked loss of fibrinogen reactivity. In both the latter instances, surprisingly, proconvertin activity was little reduced. Accordingly, using the dialyzed eluate of washed barium sulfate that had adsorbed prothrombin, proconvertin, and hemophilia B factor from fresh oxalated normal human plasma, it was possible to demonstrate that selective, almost complete, removal of prothrombin activity by asolectin can be effected with only minor depletion of proconvertin activity. The ability of the asolectin treated eluate to shorten the partial thromboplastin time of hemophilia B plasma was moderately reduced.