Synthetic carriers of oxygen.

During the last decade, construction of artificial carriers of oxygen for transfusion purposes has evolved in three main directions, which can be reviewed as follows. The first approach consists of modifying hemoglobin (Hb), the natural oxygen carrier, in order to lower its oxygen affinity and increase its intravascular persistence. To achieve this aim, two basic procedures have been used: molecular and environmental modification. In the first case, Hb is modified with chemical reagents; the second requires encapsulation of Hb to obtain artificial erythrocytes. The second approach is based on the use of synthetic oxygen-carrying chelates that mimic the oxygenation function of Hb. The main products in this class are metalloporphyrins, whose chemical environment is designed to render them efficient as reversible carriers of oxygen in vivo. Finally, the third approach deals with the perfluorochemicals used in emulsified form. Perfluorochemical liquids are excellent gas solvents, but some problems remain unsolved with regard to their development as oxygen carriers in vivo: low O2 dissolving capacity, toxicity, and excretion.