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Updated: Sep 26, 2025
Inactivation of Pathogens via Visible-Light Photolysis of Riboflavin-5′-Phosphate
Published on: April 6, 2022
Antioxidants in single methylene-blue-treated plasma units cannot be used to predict pathogen inactivation treatment
Anaïs Lotens1, Michel Prudent2,3,4, André Rapaille1
1Blood Service, Belgian Red Cross, Namur, Belgium.
Background And Objectives:
Measurement of antioxidant power (AOP) can be useful to validate the execution of the pathogen inactivation (PI) treatment of plasma units. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Theraflex technology for plasma units routinely used in Belgium.
Materials And Methods:
AOP was tested on plasma units treated by Theraflex with various non-complete treatment scenarios. AOP was quantified electrochemically using disposable devices and was expressed as equivalent ascorbic acid concentration.
Results:
During a complete PI treatment, AOP rose from 195 ± 32 to 230 ± 42 μmol/L eq. ascorbic acid after addition of methylene blue (MB), and decreased to 192 ± 30 μmol/L eq. ascorbic acid after illumination and finally to 177 ± 27 μmol/L eq. ascorbic acid after final filtration. Without MB, the final filtration had no effect on the plasma AOP (197 ± 22 μmol/L eq. ascorbic acid before filtration and 194 ± 22 μmol/L eq. ascorbic acid after filtration). With no MB and no illumination, there was no significant difference between the plasma AOP at the beginning (188 ± 23 μmol/L eq. ascorbic acid) and at the end of the process (179 ± 21 μmol/L eq. ascorbic acid).
Conclusion:
AOP measurement may not indicate the effectiveness of the PI treatment.
