Quantitation of plasma factor XIIIa activity using fibrin-coated microscopic latex beads. |
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Authors: | G S Retzinger B C Cook R E Smith M C McGinnis |
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Affiliation: | Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226. |
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Abstract: | Following exposure to thrombin, monodisperse microscopic polystyrene-divinylbenzene beads coated with a mixed film of lecithin and fibrinogen aggregate as a consequence of interbead fibrin polymerization. These bead aggregates rapidly dissociate in 5 M urea. Treatment of aggregates with factor XIIIa results in a dose-dependent decrease of the rate of aggregate dissociation in urea. The rate of disaggregation is readily quantitated by turbidimetry. We have exploited this phenomenon to develop a rapid and sensitive method for quantitating factor XIIIa activity in plasma. Using 20 microliter of human plasma the method measures the activity of factor XIIIa to a level of 0.03 U ml-1 with a precision of +/-5%. |
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