Summary
The capacity of normal and haemophilic cryoprecipitates to neutralize the anticoagulant
effect of rabbit antibodies to human factor VIII (anti-VIII) was assessed using a
quantitative estimation of antibody. About 4 times as much anti-VIII could be neutralized
by normal factor VIII as was required to neutralize clotting activity. This suggests
that there are probably several antigenic sites intimately associated with factor
VIII clotting activity, quite apart from any antigenic sites which may be detected
using antibodies directed against other components of the factor VIII complex. The
neutralizing capacity of factor VIII was only slightly greater for the rabbit antibodies
employed in this study than has been previously reported for antibodies of human origin,
thus indicating only minor differences in specificities. Additional evidence in support
of this concept was the finding that cryoprecipitates prepared from haemophilic plasmas
previously recognized as either lacking or possessing the capacity to neutralize antibodies
of human origin neutralized least or most quantities of rabbit antibodies, respectively.