Chromatographic purification and properties of a therapeutic human protein C concentrate.
Protein C deficiency (inherited and acquired) has a relatively high incidence rate in the general population worldwide. For many years, protein C deficient patients have been treated with fresh frozen plasma, prothrombin complex concentrates, heparin or oral anticoagulants, which all have clinical drawbacks. We report the production process of a highly purified human protein C concentrate from 1500 l of cryo-poor plasma by a four-step chromatographic procedure. After DEAE-Sephadex adsorption, protein C was separated from clotting factors II, VII and IX by DEAE-Sepharose FF and further purified, using a new strategy, by an on-line chromatographic system combining DMAE-Fractogel and heparin-Sepharose CL-6B. In addition, the product was treated against viral risks by solvent-detergent and nanofiltration on 15-nm membranes. The protein C concentrate was essentially free of other vitamin K-dependent proteins. Proteolytic activity was undetectable. Neither activated protein C, prekallikrein activator, nor activated vitamin K-dependent clotting factors were found resulting in good stability of the protein C activity. In vitro and in vivo animal tests did not reveal any sign of potential thrombogenicity. The final freeze-dried product had a mean protein C concentration of 58 IU/ml and a mean specific activity of 215 IU/mg protein, corresponding to over 12000-fold purification from plasma. Therefore, this concentrate appears to be of potential benefit for the treatment of protein C deficiency.
Radosevich
M
M
Centre Régional de Transfusion Sanguine de Lille, 21, Rue Camille Guérin, 59000, Lille, France. radosev@attglobal.net
Zhou
F-L
FL
Huart
J-J
JJ
Burnouf
T
T
D000818:Animals; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D011486:Protein C / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D051381:Rats
D011486:Protein C