Perfluorocarbon (PFC) based oxygen carriers supply the blood function of respiratory gases transport. PFC emulsions do not have a component that generate oncotic pressure, thus it is mixed with a plasma expander. However, it generates aggregation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of plasma expanders and main electrolytes in the emulsion aggregation.
Three phases of experimentation were carried out. First, the effect of mixing the PFC emulsion with hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solution was evaluated. Second, the physicochemical properties of the mixture with different solutions of chlorine, phosphate, potassium and sodium were studied. Third, the interaction of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human serum albumin (HSA) with components of the PFC emulsion was analyzed.
First, stronger aggregation was observed at higher concentrations of HES, which was attributed to the amount of electrolytes in the mixture. This was corroborated in the second phase, where it was determined that the electrolyte charge is the factor that affects the emulsion stability causing aggregates and particle size increase. Third, it was evidenced a different behavior of the emulsion in the presence of BSA and HSA, the second one being an aggregate forming substance.
In conclusion, it was determined that the plasma expanders and the electrolyte ions charge generate aggregates when they are diluted in PFC emulsion. Additionally, the chemical structure of the HSA interacts with the egg yolk lecithin structure (emulsifier) increasing the particle size. Further, it is known that electrostatic charges also destabilize plasma proteins, for this reason, our future work include studying the mixture of blood, plasma expander and PFC emulsion.
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