A precipitate such as from blood plasma, which separates out on freezing and thawing.
A precipitate produced by freezing and thawing under controlled conditions. An example of a cryoprecipitate is the residue obtained from fresh frozen blood plasma that has been thawed at 4°C. This residue is extremely rich in a clotting factor. Factor VIII (antihemophilic factor) and is used in the control of bleeding in hemophilia.
When frozen plasma is allowed to thaw slowly at 4 °C, a proportion of the plasma protein remains undissolved in the cold thawed plasma and stays in this state until the plasma is warmed. It is this cold, insoluble precipitate that is known as cryoprecipitate. It can be recovered quite easily by centrifuging. Its value is that it is a rich source of Factor VIII, which is used in the treatment of Haemophilia.
The precipitate formed when serum from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, glomerulonephritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, hepatitis C infection, and other chronic diseases in which immune complexes are found. It is stored at 4°C.