Conjugate of bovine hemoglobin and human serum albumin as a candidate for blood substitute: characteristics and effects on rats

Artif Cells Blood Substit Immobil Biotechnol. 2005;33(2):83-99. doi: 10.1081/bio-200055841.

Abstract

Conjugate of bovine hemoglobin (bHb) and human serum albumin (HSA) was prepared. The product was simply composed of 89.7% one-to-one Hb-HSA conjugate, 6.0% oligomer of Hb and HSA, 3.5% unconjugated HSA and 0.8% unconjugated Hb, with an average molecular weight of 157 kD. The physicochemical characteristics were determined. Effects of single replacement on blood pressure and long-term survival of rats with 30% and 60% acute blood loss were studied, in comparison with Ringer-lactate solution, stroma-free hemoglobin (SFHb), 5% HSA in Ringer-lactate, whole blood and no resuscitation fluid. Results showed that Hb-HSA conjugate maintained the mean arterial pressure of rats to initial level with no pressor effect. Long-term effects of the replacement fluids on 30% bleeding rats showed that, for the group infused with Hb-HSA conjugate, histology of five major organs, heart, kidney, liver, spleen and lung, were essentially normal, similar to that of whole blood, while obviously renal side-effects appeared in other groups. The efficacy of the conjugate was further demonstrated by the resuscitation of lethal hemorrhagic shock rats (60% acute blood loss) with 100% survival rate (followed for 14 days), the same result as whole blood. The Hb-HSA conjugate can thus be another candidate for blood substitute in emergency.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blood Pressure / drug effects
  • Blood Substitutes / chemical synthesis*
  • Blood Substitutes / therapeutic use
  • Cattle
  • Dimerization
  • Hemoglobins / chemistry
  • Hemoglobins / therapeutic use*
  • Hemorrhage / drug therapy
  • Humans
  • Polymers / chemical synthesis
  • Polymers / therapeutic use*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Serum Albumin / chemistry
  • Serum Albumin / therapeutic use*
  • Shock, Hemorrhagic / drug therapy
  • Survival Rate

Substances

  • Blood Substitutes
  • Hemoglobins
  • Polymers
  • Serum Albumin