Effects of Adenine on Clotting Factors in Fresh Blood, Stored Blood, and Stored Fresh Frozen Plasma

The addition of small quantities of adenine to whole blood may prolong the useful shelf life of bank blood. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of adenine on the clotting factors in blood containing ACD and CPD. Units of whole blood were collected in ACD, ACD‐adenine, CPD and CPD‐adenine, and each was stored 42 days under standard blood bank conditions. Samples of fresh frozen plasma containing these anticoagulants were stored three to four months at ‐30 C. Assays of Factors V, VIII (AHF), IX (PTC), X (Stuart Factor), fibrinogen, and prothrombin were performed on fresh blood, stored blood and stored fresh frozen plasma. The presence of small quantities of adenine did not appear to produce any appreciable alteration in the activity of the clotting factors in fresh blood. Further, adenine did not appear either to improve or worsen the survival of the procoagulants in whole blood stored 42 days or in fresh frozen plasma stored three to four months. There was significant deterioration of Factors V and VIII in whole blood stored 42 days in ACD, ACD‐adenine, CPD, and CPD‐adenine, but the degree of storage loss was independent of the anticoagulant employed. Factor X, fibrinogen, and prothrombin remained stable in blood stored 42 days regardless of the anticoagulant used, but Factor IX activity increased during storage possibly as the result of contact activation. Fresh frozen plasma stored three to four months showed a uniform slight loss of Factor VIII in all four anticoagulants, but Factors V, IX, X, fibrinogen, and prothrombin remained stable in stored fresh frozen plasma regardless of the anticoagulant employed.