The Biochemistry of Coagulation Factors

The biochemistry of coagulation factors in the blood clotting mechanism, and its function as a biochemical amplifier of blood coagulation was largely discovered in the 20th century. Paul Owren (1905–1990) discovered proaccelerin or Factor V in 1947, which was the first clue pointing to the complexity of the coagulation system.

Paul Owren mistakenly acclaimed that Factor V (proaccelerin) activated another factor, which he named Factor VI (accelerin); however, his claim declined and it was proved that Factor VI was an activated form of Factor V termed as Factor Va, thus Factor VI is no longer used.

Proconvertin or Factor VII, is a serum prothrombin conversion accelerator, which was discovered of a sample taken from a young female patient in 1949; however, in 1951 the case was widely populated by various medical groups.

Factor VIII was identified in 1950; however, it was renamed to antihemophilic globulin because of its capability in correcting hemophilia A. Factor VIII is deficient in all forms of hemophilia A.

Christmas Factor was discovered in 1952 by Biggs and MacFarlane of a sample taken from Christmas, who was a young Canadian patient with hemophilia B; however, the deficiency of Factor IX was described in Oxford, UK by Professor R.G. MacFarlane and Dr. Rosemary Biggs.

Plasma thromboplastin component is an alternative name for Factor IX, it was named by a private group in California.

Stephen Christmas (1947–1993) a resident of Canada campaigned for safety in blood transfusion until she succumbed to AIDS (transfusion-related) at age 46.

Hageman factor (a plasma glycoprotein) was discovered by Oscar Ratnoff in 1955 from a routine preoperative blood sample collected from John Hageman, an asymptomatic patient with excessive bleeding disorder and prolonged prothrombin time; however, it is commonly recognized as Coagulation factor XII.

Stuart-Prower factor also known as Factor X is a vitamin K–dependent protein discovered in 1956 of a sample taken from Ms. Audrey Prower, a London based English patient who had a lifelong bleeding tendency; however, in 1957, an American group identified Factor X in Mr. Rufus Stuart.

Factors XI and XIII were orderly identified in 1953 and 1961.

The concept of blood coagulation dates back to 1960’s when Davie, E. W., and Ratnoff, O. D. in the USA and MacFarlane in the UK described simultaneously the coagulation process as a cascade.

 

 

 

Coagulation Factors

Verified by: Dr.Diab (January 7, 2017)

Citation: Dr.Diab. (January 7, 2017). The biochemistry of coagulation factors. Medcoi Journal of Medicine, 11(2). urn:medcoi:article2881.