HUMAN UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD AS A SOURCE OF HEMOGLOBIN FOR USE AS A HEMOGLOBIN-BASED OXYGEN CARRIER

摘要

The present inventions describes a method to cross-link human hemoglobin obtained fromumbilical cord red blood cells. Cross-linked cord blood hemoglobin is a mixture of adult and fetalhemoglobins but it has the same molecular weight distribution and oxygen delivery capability asdoes cross-linked purified adult hemoglobin. For example, unpurified cord blood hemoglobincross-linked by O-raffinose has the same P50, Hill Coefficient, oxygen saturation and molecular weightdistribution as cross-linked highly purified adult hemoglobin. Cross-linked cord blood hemoglobinmay therefore substitute for cross-linked adult hemoglobin in any use as an hemoglobin-basedoxygen carrier. This method does not require the prior separation of fetal and adult hemoglobinsfrom cord blood before cross-linking. Other methods of cross-linking, polymerizing or otherwisestabilizing cell-free purified or unpurified cord blood hemoglobins may serve equally well asHBOCs. Cross-linked cord blood hemoglobin may have additional uses as an HBOC that dependupon some of the unique structural and functional characteristics of fetal hemoglobin. Discardedumbilical cord blood provides a large source of hemoglobin for use as an HBOC.