Comments on the physics and chemistry of trehalose as a storage medium for hemoglobin-based blood substitutes: “From kramers theory to the battlefield”

• Published in: Transfusion clinique et biologique (Paris) Vol. 2; no. 6; pp. 423 - 426
• Main Authors: Hagen, S.J., Hofrichter, H.J., Bunn, H.F., Eaton, W.A.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Elsevier SAS 1995; Elsevier
• Subjects: Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Substitutes; Blood. Blood and plasma substitutes. Blood products. Blood cells. Blood typing. Plasmapheresis. Apheresis; Carbohydrate Sequence; Drug Storage - methods; Medical sciences; Molecular Sequence Data; Physical Phenomena; Physics; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; Trehalose - chemistry
• ISSN: 1246-7820
• DOI: 10.1016/S1246-7820(05)80066-7

A glass of the naturally-occurring sugar trehalose may be a suitable medium for the storage of hemoglobin-based blood substitutes. Trehalose has many or possibly all of the properties required for this purpose, including solubilization of hemoglobin to a very high concentration, lack of toxicity, slowing of oxidation to the non-oxygen binding methemoglobin, stability at room temperature and above, and ease of transport. It should also be possible to prepare hemoglobin extremely rapidly for injection into the circulation in situations where blood replacement is required immediately, as in a domestic emergency room or on the battlefield. These practical considerations are briefly discussed, as well as the theoretical reasons for slowing of chemical reactions in the glassy state.