Oxygen Generating Biomaterials for Ischemic Tissue Salvage and Function

Abstract

Skeletal muscle viability is lost when there is a prolonged interruption of blood supply. The ensuing lack of oxygen, or hypoxia, results in ischemia and necrosis, which greatly deteriorates skeletal muscle function. The application of a material that generates oxygen could maintain skeletal muscle viability under such hypoxic conditions. A solution of particulate oxygen generators (POGs) was created and injected into an isolated rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle, a tissue that will experience oxygen diffusion limitations due to its volume. The muscle was placed in an in vitro organ bath, wherein the core of the EDL muscle is oxygen‐deprived, and assessed at 37°C for functional capacity during a 1.5‐hour contractile test. The injection of POGs subsided the decline of active force production and rise in baseline tension during the contractile test, compared to EDL muscle injected with vehicle‐only. These findings suggest that POGs attenuated hypoxia in isolated EDL muscle.