Abstract
This study reports some recent work dealing with the stabilization of the tetramers of hemoglobin. It is shown that by using a variety of diacids, it is possible to increase the P50 above that of stroma free hemoglobin. In order to lengthen the retention times in the circulatory system, the stabilized hemoglobins were complexed with both hydroxyethyl starch polymers and polyol tetronic polymers. The resulting hemoglobin-polymer compounds were then freeze-dried. It was possible to reconstitute the powder by the addition of physiological saline when needed. The methods presented here appear to be appear to be as effective as using pyridoxal phosphate but at a fraction of the cost.
