Optimized recirculation survival of mouse carrier erythrocytes.

Carrier mouse erythrocytes prepared by a hypotonic dialysis technique and reinjected into mice have a 24 hour survival of approximately 50%. Twenty-four hour survival can be improved substantially to 74% by removing the more fragile erythrocytes by a hypotonic wash treatment. The mean cell volume of the carriers prepared by this modification is significantly (p less than 0.01) different from cells prepared by the standard method with a isotonic wash treatment. Carriers prepared by the hypotonic treatment wash modification exhibit a different 50% hemolytic value (15% difference) from isotonically prepared carriers, and normal erythrocytes. Carrier-erythrocytes removed from mice 24 hour post-injection exhibit an osmotic profile that is independent of the treatment. Carriers were also prepared by another modification of the encapsulation procedure and held in a permeable state overnight before resealing and annealing. Carriers prepared in this manner showed a much lower 24 hour survival (13%).