Chemistry and Biochemistry of Oxygen Therapeutics: From Transfusion to Artificial Blood

Human blood performs many important functions including defenceagainst disease and transport of biomolecules, but perhaps the mostimportant is to carry oxygen – the fundamental biochemicalfuel - and other blood gases around the cardiovascular system.Traditional therapies for the impairment of this function, or therapid replacement of lost blood, have centred around bloodtransfusions. However scientists are developing chemicals (oxygentherapeutics, or “blood substitutes”) which have thesame oxygen-carrying capability as blood and can be used asreplacements for blood transfusion or to treat diseases whereoxygen transport is impaired.

Chemistry and Biochemistry of Oxygen Therapeutics: FromTransfusion to Artificial Blood links the underlyingbiochemical principles of the field with chemical andbiotechnological innovations and pre-clinical development.

The first part of the book deals with the chemistry,biochemistry, physiology and toxicity of oxygen, including chapterson hemoglobin reactivity and regulation; the major cellular andphysiological control mechanisms of blood flow and oxygendelivery;  hemoglobin and myoglobin;  nitric oxide andoxygen; and the role of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species inischemia/reperfusion Injury.

The book then discusses medical needs for oxygen supply,including acute traumatic hemorrhage and anemia; diagnosis andtreatment of haemorrhages in "non-surgical" patients; management ofperioperative bleeding; oxygenation in the preterm neonate;ischemia

normobaric and hyperbaric oxygen therapy for ischemic stroke andother neurological conditions; and transfusion therapy in βthalassemia and sickle cell disease

Finally “old”and new strategies for oxygen supplyare described. These include the political, administrative andlogistic issues surrounding transfusion;  conscientiousobjection in patient blood management; causes and consequences ofred cell incompatibility; biochemistry of red blood cellstorage;  proteomic investigations on stored red blood cells;red blood cells from stem cells; the universal red bloodcell;  allosteric effectors of hemoglobin; hemoglobin-basedoxygen carriers;  oxygen delivery by natural and artificialoxygen carriers; cross-linked and polymerized hemoglobins aspotential blood substitutes; design of novel pegylated hemoglobinsas oxygen carrying plasma expanders; hb octamers by introduction ofsurface cysteines; hemoglobin-vesicles as a cellular typehemoglobin-based oxygen carrier; animal models and oxidativebiomarkers to evaluate pre-clinical safety of extracellularhemoglobins; and academia – industry collaboration in bloodsubstitute development.

Chemistry and Biochemistry of Oxygen Therapeutics: FromTransfusion to Artificial Blood is an essential reference forclinicians, haematologists, medicinal chemists, biochemists,molecular biologists, biotechnologists and blood substituteresearchers.