Gavage approach to oxygen supplementation with oxygen therapeutic Ox66™ in a hypoventilation rodent model of respiratory distress

Abstract

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) features pulmonary dysfunction capable of causing life-threatening hypoxaemia. Ventilation and hyperoxic therapies force oxygen through dysfunctional alveoli but risk exacerbating damage. Ox66™ is an ingestible, solid-state oxygen product designed for oxygen supplementation. Eighteen anaesthetized, ventilated rats were subjected to a 40% reduction in tidal volume to produce a hypoventilatory simulation of the hypoxia in ARDS (HV-ARDS). After 60 min, animals were randomized to receive either normal saline (Saline; volume control) or Ox66™ gavage. Cardiovascular function and blood oximetry/chemistry were measured alongside interstitial oxygenation (PISFO2) of the peripheral spinotrapezius muscle. HV-ARDS reduced mean arterial pressure by ∼20% and PISFO2 by ∼35% for both groups. Ox66™ gavage treatment at 60 min improved PISFO2 over Saline (p