Lipoprotein enrichment in orange insoluble particulate matter reproducibly appearing in cryoprecipitate

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cryoprecipitate prepared from two whole blood donations from the same donor contained insoluble orange particulate material (OPM). We sought to identify the OPM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: OPM was recovered from the blood product by centrifugation, dissolved in sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and analysed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. RESULTS: Solubilized OPM was enriched in apolipoproteins B and E, but not apolipoprotein A1, immunoglobulin G or albumin, suggesting lipoprotein enrichment in OPM. Subsequent clinical laboratory blood tests confirmed low-density lipoprotein hyperlipidaemia with normal triglyceride levels. Further, cryoprecipitate production from this donor was prevented by implementation of national predominantly male plasma policies. CONCLUSION: Cryoprecipitate produced from hyperlipidaemic donors may contain insoluble particles that render it inappropriate for transfusion.