Assessment of newly developed perfluorocarbon emulsion: Oxygen carrying capacity as the blood substitute in vivo

Abstract

This study provides the evaluation of oxygen carrying capacity of the novel perfluorocarbon emulsion (Neo-PFC) produced by the new emulsifying technology named High Pressure Process. For the performance comparison of oxygen carrying abilities of Neo-PFC and a representative PFC emulsion, the oxidation states of cerebral tissues in substituted animals were measured by near-infrared spectrometry. After the 70% exchange transfusion of whole blood of rats by Neo-PFC and Fluosol-DA®, fractional inspired oxygen (FiO2) was gradually decreased from 100% to 0%. As the control experiments, the blood was substituted by Krebs Ringer bicarbonate buffer containing 3% BSA. When the blood of rats was substituted by Neo-PFC, Cyt. ox., a terminal enzyme in mitochondrial respiratory chain maintained fully oxidized state with FiO2 values between 100 to 40%. By contrast, in the models substituted by Fluosol-DA® and BSA-buffer, Cyt. ox. was gradually reduced with FiO2 values below 60% and 80%, respectively. This specific advantage of Neo-PFC was explained by its higher oxygen solubility in arterial blood. The novel PFC emulsion prepared by the new emulsifying technology is a potential basis for blood substitutes.