Effects of ultra-purified polymerized bovine hemoglobin on local tissue oxygen tension in striated skin muscle -- an efficacy study in the hamster.

The development of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers has been propagated for replacement of the oxygen carrying properties of red blood cells for almost one century. Using a Clark-type multi-wire oxygen surface electrode and the dorsal skin fold chamber model of the awake Syrian golden hamster, local tissue pO(2) was analyzed in the thin striated skin muscle before and after administration of an ultra-purified polymerized bovine hemoglobin solution (U-PBHb, Biopure Corp., Boston, Mass., USA) under the following experimental conditions: (a) hypervolemic infusion with U-PBHb at approximately 10% of calculated blood volume, and (b) isovolemic exchange transfusion with U-PBHb by replacing approximately 50% of calculated blood volume. Control animals of group a received equivalent treatment with either isotonic saline or dextran 60, control animals of group b received dextran 60. Local tissue pO(2) was found slightly decreased after both hypervolemic infusion and isovolemic exchange transfusion with U-PBHb, while frequency distribution curves of local tissue pO(2) were found more narrow (less values <10 mm Hg and >25 mm Hg), suggesting a more homogeneous tissue pO(2) distribution. The data thus indicate that U-PBHb slightly decreases mean tissue pO(2) after both hypervolemic infusion and isovolemic exchange transfusion which is accompanied by an effective homogenization of local tissue pO(2) distribution as compared to dextran 60.