Preparation of uniform-sized hemoglobin-albumin microspheres as oxygen carriers by Shirasu porous glass membrane emulsification technique

We have developed a new type of artificial oxygen carrier composed of bovine hemoglobin (bHb) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) prepared by Shirasu porous glass (SPG) membrane emulsification technique. The resultant emulsion droplets containing 10 wt% bHb and 5-20 wt% BSA were subsequently cross-linked by glutaraldehyde to form the microspheres. Due to the uniform pore structure of SPG membranes, the average diameters of bHb10-BSAm microspheres were successfully controlled at around 5 μm with a coefficient of variation of around 10%. In addition, the biocompatibility of the carriers depended on their oxyhemoglobin percentage regardless of their same size. Finally, the P50 values of these microspheres ranged from 8.08 to 11.60 mmHg, which showed a high oxygen affinity and an oxygen delivery function.