Perfluorocarbon-filled poly(lactide-co-gylcolide) nano- and microcapsules as artificial oxygen carriers for blood substitutes: a physico-chemical assessment.

The physico-chemical suitability of perfluorocarbon-filled capsules as artificial oxygen carriers for blood substitutes is assessed on the example of biodegradable poly(lactide-co-gylcolide) micro- and nanocapsules with a liquid content of perfluorodecalin. The morphology of the capsules is studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy using Nile red as a fluorescent marker. The mechanical stability and the wall flexibility of the capsules are examined by atomic force microscopy. The permeability of the capsule walls in connection with the oxygen uptake is detected by nuclear magnetic resonance. It is shown that the preparation in fact leads to nanocapsules with a mechanical stability which compares well with the one of red blood cells. The capsule walls exhibit sufficient permeability to allow for the exchange of oxygen in aqueous environment. In the fully saturated state, the amount of oxygen dissolved within the encapsulated perfluorodecalin in aqueous dispersion is as large as for bulk perfluorodecalin. Simple kinetic studies are presently restricted to the time scale of minutes, but so far indicate that the permeability of the capsule walls could be sufficient to allow for rapid gas exchange.