Bovine Hb Research Articles

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate as an inhibitor of hemoglobin-catalyzed lipid oxidation: molecular mechanism of action and nutritional application

Hemoglobin (Hb) is effective inducer for lipid oxidation and protein–polyphenol interaction is a well-known phenomenon. The effects of the interaction of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) with Hb on lipid oxidation were rarely elucidated. The detailed interaction between bovine Hb and EGCG was systematically explored by experimental and theoretical approaches, to illustrate the molecular mechanisms by which EGCG influenced the redox states and stability of Hb. EGCG would bind to the central pocket of protein with one binding site to form Hb-EGCG complex. The binding constant for Hb-EGCG complex was 0.34 × 104 M−1 at 277 K, and thermodynamic parameters (ΔH > 0, ΔS > 0 and ΔG < 0) revealed the participation of hydrophobic forces in the binding process. The binding of EGCG would increase the compactness of protein molecule and diminish the crevice near the heme cavity, which was responsible for the reduction of met-Hb to oxy-Hb and inhibition of hemin release from met-Hb. Moreover, EGCG efficiently suppressed Hb-caused lipid oxidation in liposomes and cod muscles, which was possibly attributed to the reduction to oxy-Hb state and declined hemin dissociation from met-Hb. Altogether, our results provide significant insights into the binding of EGCG to redox-active Hb, which represents a novel mechanism for the anti-oxidant capacity of EGCG in human health and is favorable to the applications of natural EGCG in the good quality of Hb-containing products.

Acellular hemoglobin impairs calcium release and contractility in cardiomyocytes from healthy animals

Hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen (O 2 ) carriers (HBOC) have been proposed as an alternative for blood transfusion. Phase III clinical trials of previous HBOC generations presented issues, such as vasoconstriction and myocardial infarction, that were not detected in pre-clinical trials. These problems have been attributed to extravasation of the low molecular weight (LMW) Hb species, nitric oxide (NO) scavenging and O 2 oversupply to the vasculature. However, the mechanisms responsible for the cardiac toxicity of HBOCs remain unclear. To explore the effects of acellular (acell) Hb and HBOC in cardiac tissues, we exposed cardiomyocytes (CMCs) to highly purified stroma-free acell bovine Hb (bHb) or human Hb (hHb). CMCs were loaded with Ca2+ fluorescent indicator (fluo-3) and put on laminin-coated coverslips. Cells were superfused with standard Tyrode solution with and without acell Hb. CMCs were stimulated with current pulses given at 1 Hz, and free cytosolic Ca2+ concentration was measured. To eliminate the effects of NO scavenging on CMCs, L-Name was added to the superfused with bHb and hHb. To study the effect of acell Hb MW on CMCs, LMW polymerized hHb (PolyhHb) was used to challenge CMCs. To explore the effect of Hb oxidation on CMCs, LMW MetHb was used to challenge the CMCs and compared to LMW PolyhMetHb. To explore the effects of antioxidants and heme toxicity, the studies with hHb and MethHb were repeated in the presence of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or purified human Haptoglobin (Hp). Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was measured using the fluorescent indicator MitoSOX Red after removing the Hb by washing the cells. After ROS determination, the maximal ROS production by CMCs was measured by challenging the cells with a high concentration of H 2 O 2 . Acell Hb increased the Ca 2+ transient decay time constant (tau) relative to control. Removing the effects of NO production with L-Name, increased the tau of the Ca 2+ transient in control and acell Hb challenge cells. Challenging CMCs with PolyhHb reduced the effects observed with acell Hb in Ca 2+ transients. MetHb appears to be worse than reduced Hb in terms of the changes induced to CMCs Ca 2+ transients. The antioxidant NAC mitigated the effects of acell Hb and MetHb but did not eliminate the changes on increased Ca2+ transients. The Hb scavenger, Hp, mitigated the effects of acell hHb and MethHb on Ca 2+ transients. The MitoSOX Red fluorescence was higher for CMCs exposed to acell Hb and MetHb compared to the control. PolyhHb and PolyMetHb challenge decreased the MitoSOX compared to acell hHb and MethHb. Cells with higher levels of ROS showed lower changes in fluorescence when exposed to H 2 O 2 . Here, we show that the toxicity of acell Hb is impart determined by facilitated diffusion, NO scavenging, heme release, and ROS, potentially affecting the energy supply and metabolism of CMCs. This study was supported by National Institutes of Health grants R01HL162120, R01HL159862 and the Department of Defense under grants W81XWH1810059. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Hydroxyethyl Starch-Bovine Hemoglobin Conjugate as an Effective Oxygen Carrier with the Ability to Expand Plasma.

Hemorrhagic shock leads to intravasal volume deficiency, tissue hypoxia, and cellular anaerobic metabolism. Hemoglobin (Hb) could deliver oxygen for hypoxic tissues but is unable to expand plasma. Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) could compensate for the intravasal volume deficiency but cannot deliver oxygen. Thus, bovine Hb (bHb) was conjugated with HES (130 kDa and 200 kDa) to develop an oxygen carrier with the ability to expand plasma. Conjugation with HES increased the hydrodynamic volume, colloidal osmotic pressure, and viscosity of bHb. It slightly perturbed the quaternary structure and heme environment of bHb. The partial oxygen pressures at 50% saturation (P 50) of the two conjugates (bHb-HES130 and bHb-HES200) were 15.1 and 13.9 mmHg, respectively. The two conjugates showed no apparent side effects on the morphology and rigidity, hemolysis, and platelet aggregation of red blood cells of Wistar rats. Thus, bHb-HES130 and bHb-HES200 were expected to function as an effective oxygen carrier with the ability to expand plasma.

ZIF-8 metal organic framework nanoparticle loaded with tense quaternary state polymerized bovine hemoglobin: potential red blood cell substitute with antioxidant properties.

Due to several limitations associated with blood transfusion, such as the relatively short shelf life of stored blood, low risk of developing acute immune hemolytic reactions and graft-versus-host disease, many strategies have been developed to synthesize hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) as universal red blood cell (RBC) substitutes. Recently, zeolite imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8), a metal-organic framework, has attracted considerable attention as a protective scaffold for encapsulation of hemoglobin (Hb). Despite the exceptional thermal and chemical stability of ZIF-8, the major impediments to implementing ZIF-8 for Hb encapsulation are the structural distortions associated with loading large quantities of Hb in the scaffold as the Hb molecule has a larger hydrodynamic diameter than the pore size of ZIF-8. Therefore to reduce the structural distortion caused by Hb encapsulation, we established and optimized a continuous-injection method to synthesize nanoparticle (NP) encapsulated polymerized bovine Hb (PolybHb) using ZIF-8 precursors (ZIF-8P-PolybHb NPs). The synthesis method was further modified by adding EDTA as a chelating agent, which reduced the ZIF-8P-PolybHb NP size to <300 nm. ZIF-8P-PolybHb NPs exhibited lower oxygen affinity (36.4 ± 3.2 mm Hg) compared to unmodified bovine Hb, but was similar in magnitude to unencapsulated PolybHb. The use of the chemical cross-linker glutaraldehyde to polymerize bovine Hb resulted in the low Hill coefficient of PolybHb, indicating loss of Hb's oxygen binding cooperativity, which could be a limitation when using PolybHb as an oxygen carrier for encapsulation inside the ZIF-8 matrix. ZIF-8P-PolybHb NPs exhibited slower oxygen offloading kinetics compared to unencapsulated PolybHb, demonstrating successful encapsulation of PolybHb. ZIF-8P-PolybHb NPs also exhibited favorable antioxidant properties when exposed to H2O2. Incorporation of PolybHb into the ZIF-8 scaffold resulted in reduced cytotoxicity towards human umbilical vein endothelial cells compared to unloaded ZIF-8 NPs and ZIF-8 NPs loaded with bovine Hb. We envisage that such a monodisperse and biocompatible HBOC with low oxygen affinity and antioxidant properties may broaden its use as an RBC substitute.

Pro-oxidative activity of trout and bovine hemoglobin during digestion using a static in vitro gastrointestinal model

The degradation of trout and bovine hemoglobin (Hb) and their pro-oxidant activities in washed cod muscle mince (WCM) were studied using simple pH-shifts to simulate gastrointestinal (GI) conditions (pH 7 → 6 → 3 → 7), as well as full static in vitro GI digestion. Following gastric acidification to pH 6, metHb formation increased, especially for trout Hb. Subsequent acidification to pH 3 promoted Hb unfolding and partial or complete heme group-loss. During full GI digestion, polypeptide/peptide analyses revealed more extensive Hb-degradation in the gastric than duodenal phase, without any species-differences. When digesting WCM +/-Hb, both Hbs strongly promoted malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (HHE), and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) formation, peaking at the end of the gastric phase. Trout-Hb stimulated MDA and HHE more than bovine Hb in the first gastric phase. Altogether, partially degraded Hb, and/or free hemin -both mammal and fish-derived- stimulated oxidation of PUFA-rich lipids under GI-conditions, especially gastric ones.

The Camels, Humans and Bovines Haemoglobin: In Silico and Molecular Dynamics Perspective and Binding Potency with Haeme

This study compared the molecular dynamics (MD) of haemoglobin (Hb) bound to haeme in humans, camels, and bovines. The camel haemoglobin alpha and beta subunits showed larger amino acid differences, compared with bovine and human Hb. The bovine Hb was more phylogenetically related to human Hb than camel Hb. The camel haemoglobin structure complexed with haeme showed the highest stability by showing the lowest root mean square deviations (RMSD) and root mean square fluctuations (RMSF), compared with bovine and human structures. The Molecular Mechanics/Poisson Boltzman Surface Area (MM/PBSA) method was used to estimate the binding potency of haeme with the studied Hbs. The binding free energy of haeme was calculated to be -688.062 for bovines, -897.019 for camels, and -585.291 for humans. As a consequence, camel Hb had the highest binding potency, followed by bovines, and then humans. The structure and binding features of camel Hb contributes to its role in adaptation to dehydration and the harsh environment by adopting of higher affinity for haeme.

Tangential flow filtration facilitated fractionation and PEGylation of low and high-molecular weight polymerized hemoglobins and their biophysical properties.

Various types of hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) have been developed as red blood cell substitutes for treating blood loss when blood is not available. Among those HBOCs, glutaraldehyde polymerized Hbs have attracted significant attention due to their facile synthetic route, and ability to expand the blood volume and deliver oxygen. Hemopure®, Oxyglobin®, and PolyHeme® are the most well-known commercially developed glutaraldehyde polymerized Hbs. Unfortunately, only Oxyglobin® was approved by the FDA for veterinary use in the United States, while Hemopure® and PolyHeme® failed phase III clinical trials due to their ability to extravasate from the blood volume into the tissue space which facilitated nitric oxide scavenging and tissue deposition of iron, which elicited vasoconstriction, hypertension and oxidative tissue injury. Fortunately, conjugation of poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) on the surface of Hb is capable of reducing the vasoactivity of Hb by creating a hydration layer surrounding the Hb molecule, which increases its hydrodynamic diameter and reduces tissue extravasation. Several commercial PEGylated Hbs (MP4®, Sanguinate®, Euro-PEG-Hb) have been developed for clinical use with a longer circulatory half-life and improved safety compared to Hb. However, all of these commercial products exhibited relatively high oxygen affinity compared to Hb, which limited their clinical use. To dually address the limitations of prior generations of polymerized and PEGylated Hbs, this current study describes the PEGylation of polymerized bovine Hb (PEG-PolybHb) in both the tense (T) and relaxed (R) quaternary state via thiol-maleimide chemistry to produce an HBOC with low or high oxygen affinity. The biophysical properties of PEG-PolybHb were measured and compared with those of commercial polymerized and PEGylated HBOCs. T-state PEG-PolybHb possessed higher hydrodynamic volume and P50 than previous generations of commercial PEGylated Hbs. Both T- and R-state PEG-PolybHb exhibited significantly lower haptoglobin binding rates than the precursor PolybHb, indicating potentially reduced clearance by CD163 + monocytes and macrophages. Thus, T-state PEG-PolybHb is expected to function as a promising HBOC due to its low oxygen affinity and enhanced stealth properties afforded by the PEG hydration shell.

Safety profile of high molecular weight polymerized hemoglobins

Hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen (O2 ) carriers (HBOCs) are being developed as alternatives to red blood cells and blood when these products are unavailable. Clinical trials of previous HBOC generations revealed side effects, including hypertension and vasoconstriction, that were not observed in preclinical studies. Large molecular weight (MW) polymerized bovine Hb (PolybHb) represents a new class of HBOC with promising results. We evaluated the safety profile of PolybHb after an exchange transfusion (ET) in guinea pigs (GPs). This study compares changes in indices of cardiac, inflammatory, and organ function after ET with high (R-state) and low (T-state) O2 affinity PolybHb with high MW. Guinea pigs underwent a 20% ET with PolybHb. To assess the implication of PolybHb ET on the microcirculation, hamsters instrumented with a dorsal window chamber were subjected to a similar volume ET. T and R-state PolybHb did not induce significant alterations in cardiac function. T-state PolybHb induced mild vasoconstriction shortly after transfusion, while R-state did not have acute effects on microvascular tone. Large MW PolybHbs were found to be safe and efficacious in increasing O2 carrying capacity and the O2 affinity of the PolybHb did not affect O2 delivery or extraction by tissues in relevant preclinical models. In conclusion, these results suggest that both T-state and R-state PolybHb are safe and do not impair O2 delivery. The results are encouraging and support further evaluation of high MW PolybHbs and their future feasibility compared to allogenic blood in a trauma model.

Glutaraldehyde-Polymerized Hemoglobin: In Search of Improved Performance as Oxygen Carrier in Hemorrhage Models.

Hemoglobin- (Hb-) based oxygen carriers (HBOC) have for several decades been explored for treatment of hemorrhage. In our previous top-up tests, HBOC with lower in vitro prooxidant reactivity (incorporating a peroxidase or serum albumin to this end) showed a measurable but small improvement of oxidative stress-related parameters. Here, such HBOCs are tested in a hemorrhage set-up; ovine hemoglobin is also tested for the first time in such a setting, based on in vitro data showing its improved performance versus bovine Hb against oxidative and nitrosative stress agents. Indeed, ovine Hb performs better than bovine Hb in terms of survival rates, arterial tension, immunology, and histology. On the other hand, unlike in the top-up models, where the nonheme peroxidase rubrerythrin as well as bovine serum albumin copolymerized with Hb were shown to improve the performance of HBOC, in the present hemorrhage models rubrerythrin fails dramatically as HBOC ingredient (with a distinct immunological reaction), whereas serum albumin appears not feasible if its source is a different species (i.e., bovine serum albumin fares distinctly worse than rat serum albumin, in HBOC transfusions in rats). An effect of the matrix in which the HBOCs are dissolved (PBS versus gelofusine versus plasma) is noted.

Polymerized Hemoglobin With Increased Molecular Size Reduces Toxicity in Healthy Guinea Pigs

Hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen (O2) carriers (HBOCs) have been developed as an alternative to red blood cells (RBCs) for use in transfusion medicine. HBOCs have many benefits over RBCs; however, previous generations of HBOCs failed in clinical trials due to unanticipated cardiotoxicity. These problems likely originated from vasoconstriction, hypertension, oxidative stress, and the presence of low-molecular-weight (MW) Hb species in the HBOC formulation. Therefore, the objective of this study is to compare the toxicity of small-MW Polymerized bovine Hb (SPolyHb) to large-MW Polymerized bovine Hb (LPolyHb) in guinea pigs, since they lack the ability to synthesize vitamin C and are more sensitive to oxidative stress than other preclinical animal models. The two PolyHbs used in this study have similar molecular diameters (72 and 69 nm, respectively), but the SPolyHb included approximately 15% Hb polymers with MW below 256 kDa, which were significantly removed from LPolyHb. Solutions were injected as a hypervolemic (topload) infusion of 10% of the blood volume into animals. SPolyHb caused a 50% elevation in mean arterial pressure (MAP) from the baseline, while LPolyHb caused only a small increase in MAP. Both PolyHbs also increased markers of organ damage and tissue and systemic inflammation compared to controls. SPolyHb caused significant changes in tissue function and vital organ toxicity markers compared to LPolyHb, specifically markers related to kidney, liver, and lung injury and systemic inflammation and iron transport by the reticuloendothelial system. LPolyHb had a longer half-life than SPolyHb, which correlates with observations made in the reticuloendothelial and iron transport systems. These studies indicate that the molecular size of PolyHb determines vasoactivity, circulation time, mechanism of elimination, toxicity, and inflammation induced by its infusion.

Resuscitation From Hemorrhagic Shock With Fresh and Stored Blood and Polymerized Hemoglobin.

Hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) have been proposed as alternatives to blood for decades. Previous studies demonstrated that large molecular diameter HBOCs based on polymerized bovine Hb (PolybHb) attenuate Hb side-effects and toxicity. The objective of this study was to test the safety and efficacy of tense state PolybHb after long-term storage. PolybHb was subjected to diafiltration to remove low molecular weight (< 500 kDa) species and stored for 2 years. PolybHb was studied in parallel with blood, collected from rats and stored leukodepleted under blood bank conditions for 3 weeks. Rats were hemorrhaged and resuscitated to 90% of the blood pressure before the hemorrhage with fresh blood, stored blood, fresh PolybHb, or 2-year-stored PolybHb. Hemorrhagic shock impaired oxygen delivery and cardiac function. Resuscitation restored blood pressure and cardiac function, but stored blood required a significantly larger transfusion volume to recover from shock compared with fresh blood and PolybHb (fresh and stored). Stored blood transfusion elevated markers of organ damage compared with all other groups. These studies indicate that large molecular diameter PolybHb is as efficacious as fresh blood in restoring cardiac function and confirm the lack of degradation of PolybHb's safety or efficacy during long-term storage.

Ni(II)-decorated porous titania microspheres as a stationary phase for column chromatography applications: Highly selective purification of hemoglobin from human blood

Titania (TiO2)-based monodisperse-porous stationary phase/sorbent was synthesized by decoration of Ni(II) ions onto TiO2 microspheres 4.2 µm in size, obtained by a staged-shape template hydrolysis and condensation protocol. Ni(II) ions were attached onto iminodiacetic acid-3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (IDA-GPTMS) bound-titania microspheres by metal-chelate complex formation. The appropriate mean size, sufficiently high surface area and high porosity providing an appropriate column permeability make Ni(II)-decorated TiO2 microspheres a good sorbent/stationary phase for batch/continuous-column chromatography applications. Ni(II)-decorated TiO2 microspheres were investigated as a sorbent for purification of a typical histidine-rich protein, hemoglobin (Hb) via immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) in batch fashion, by including bovine serum albumin (BSA) as reference. The saturation capacities of batch adsorption runs performed with bovine Hb and BSA were determined as 137 ± 9 and 45 ± 3 mg/g, respectively. Human Hb with the purity of > 95% was recovered from whole blood by IMAC conducted in batch-fashion. Ni(II)-decorated microspheres were also evaluated as a stationary phase in a microfluidic-IMAC system, in which, human Hb was recovered from whole blood with a purity of 85%. The microfluidic-IMAC system constructed here, based on monodisperse-porous TiO2 microspheres, is a promising tool for genomics/proteomics applications involving isolation of valuable biomolecules from low-volume samples.

Resuscitation from Hemorrhagic Shock with High Molecular Weight Polymerized Hemoglobin

BackgroundHemoglobin (Hb) based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) have been proposed as an alternative to red blood cells (RBCs) for transfusion medicine. Lack of mechanistic analysis lead to clinical evaluation of low molecular weight (MW) HBOCs, which failed in phase III clinical trials due to a myriad of side effects not seen in pre‐clinical trials. Increasing the MW of HBOCs can decrease these side effects by confining HBOCs to the vascular space and increasing nitric oxide generation. HBOCs are advantageous to blood due to their non‐immunogenic properties and potential to use non‐human hb sources, among others. In this study we compare the efficacy of fresh blood, freshly synthesized polymerized bovine hb (PolybHb), and PolybHb stored for 2 years in restoring cardiac function after hemorrhagic shock.MethodsPolybHb was synthesized in the low oxygen affinity (T) state with a 35:1 ratio of glutaraldehyde to bovine Hb, and then subjected to 8–9 cycles of diafiltration. This resulted in a PolybHb solution containing only polymerized Hb molecules &lt; 0.2 uM and &gt;500kDa. PolybHb was then frozen at −80°C and stored until used. Fresh red blood cells were prepared from the blood removed during hemorrhage by centrifugation at 1000g for 7 minutes, removal of the buffy coat, hemoconcentration to a hematocrit of 50%. Rats (200–250g) were hemorrhaged for 50% of their blood volume, held in hypovolemia for 30 minutes, and resuscitated to recover blood pressure to 90% pre‐hemorrhage with fresh autologous blood (fresh blood), PolybHb generated within 3 months of the study (PolybHb 2017), or PolybHb generated two years prior to the study (PolybHb 2015).ResultsShock resulted in impaired oxygen delivery and cardiac function. Resuscitation with fresh blood, PolybHb 2017, and PolybHb 2015 restored cardiac function and systemic vascular resistance. Slightly more PolybHb was infused before restoration of 90% pre‐hemorrhage MAP was achieved, but the volume was not statistically significant. Likely as a result of the higher resuscitation volume, stroke volume and stroke work increased more in animals resuscitated with PolybHb than fresh autologous blood. PolybHb did not impair cardiac contractility nor cause excessive vasoconstriction.ConclusionsStudies indicate that PolybHb is as efficacious as fresh autologous blood in restoring cardiac function in rats after hemorrhagic shock. Additionally, PolybHb can be safely stored at −80°C for two years and retain efficacy, unlike red blood cells.Support or Funding InformationNIH Grants from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, T32‐HL105373, P01‐HL110900, R01‐HL126945This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

The Reaction of Oxy Hemoglobin with Nitrite: Mechanism, Antioxidant-Modulated Effect, and Implications for Blood Substitute Evaluation.

The autocatalytic reaction between nitrite and the oxy form of globins involves free radicals. For myoglobin (Mb), an initial binding of nitrite to the iron-coordinated oxygen molecule was proposed; the resulting ferrous-peroxynitrate species was not detected, but its decay product, the high-valent ferryl form, was demonstrated in stopped-flow experiments. Reported here are the stopped flow spectra recorded upon mixing oxy Hb (native, as well as chemically-derivatized in the form of several candidates of blood substitutes) with a supraphysiological concentration of nitrite. The data may be fitted to a simple kinetic model involving a transient met-aqua form, in contrast to the ferryl detected in the case of Mb in a similar reaction sequence. These data are in line with a previous observation of a transient accumulation of ferryl Hb under auto-catalytic conditions at much lower concentrations of nitrite (Grubina, R. et al. J. Biol. Chem. 2007, 282, 12916). The simple model for fitting the stopped-flow data leaves a small part of the absorbance changes unaccounted for, unless a fourth species is invoked displaying features similar to the oxy and tentatively assigned as ferrous-peroxynitrate. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations support this latter assignment. The reaction allows for differentiating between the reactivities of various chemically modified hemoglobins, including candidates for blood substitutes. Polymerization of hemoglobin slows the nitrite-induced oxidation, in sharp contrast to oxidative-stress type reactions which are generally accelerated, not inhibited. Sheep hemoglobin is found to be distinctly more resistant to reaction with nitrite compared to bovine Hb, at large nitrite concentrations (stopped-flow experiments directly observing the oxy + nitrite reaction) as well as under auto-catalytic conditions. Copolymerization of Hb with bovine serum albumin (BSA) using glutaraldehyde leads to a distinct increase of the lag time compared to native Hb as well as to any other form of derivatization examined in the present study. The Hb-BSA copolymer also displays a slower initial reaction with nitrite under stopped-flow conditions, compared to native Hb.

A PEGylated bovine hemoglobin as a potent hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier.

Hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) have been used as blood substitutes in surgery medicine and oxygen therapeutics for ischemic stroke. As a potent HBOC, the PEGylated Hb has received much attention for its oxygen delivery and plasma expanding ability. Two PEGylated Hbs, Euro-Hb, and MP4 have been developed for clinical trials, using human adult hemoglobin (HbA) as the original substrate. However, HbA was obtained from outdated human blood and its quantity available from this source may not be sufficient for mass production of PEGylated HbA. In contrast, bovine Hb (bHb) has no quantity constraints for its ample resource. Thus, bHb is of potential to function as an alternative substrate to obtain a PEGylated bHb (bHb-PEG). bHb-PEG was prepared under the same reaction condition as HbA-PEG, using maleimide chemistry. The structural, functional, solution and physiological properties of bHb-PEG were determined and compared with those of HbA-PEG. bHb-PEG showed higher hydrodynamic volume, colloidal osmotic pressure, viscosity and P50 than HbA-PEG. The high P50 of bHb can partially compensate the PEGylation-induced perturbation in the R to T state transition of HbA. bHb-PEG was non-vasoactive and could efficiently recover the mean arterial pressure of mice suffering from hemorrhagic shock. Thus, bHb-PEG is expected to function as a potent HBOC for its high oxygen delivery and strong plasma expanding ability. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:252-260, 2017.

First report on hemoglobin electrostatic immobilization on WO3 nanoparticles: application in the simultaneous determination of levodopa, uric acid, and folic acid.

This work describes the first report about the simultaneous determination of levodopa (L-DOPA) with folic acid (FA) and uric acid (UA) based on electrocatalytic oxidation of L-DOPA with peroxidase properties of hemoglobin (Hb) in the presence of H2O2 as Hb activator. Bovine Hb was electrostatically immobilized on WO3 nanoparticles (WO3NPs) in pH between Hb and WO3NP isoelectric points, and subsequently, a carbon paste electrode (CPE) was modified with the obtained WO3NPs-Hb and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The resulting biosensor supplied a sensitive and suitably stable biosensor for the simultaneous determination of L-DOPA, UA, and FA. The obtained linear range and detection limit for L-DOPA, UA, and FA were completely acceptable, and the biosensor response time for these molecules was relatively short so that it reaches about 95% of its maximum response in less than 10s. The applicability of the current biosensor was confirmed with the determination of L-DOPA in the presence of fixed amounts of FA and UA in some real samples by the standard addition method.

Peroxidation and redox reactions catalyzed by truncated hemoglobins

Roseobacter denitrificans is one member of widespread marine Rosoebacters and performs photosynthesis and denitrification aerobically. We report a native heme‐bound R. denitrificans truncated hemoglobin (Rd. trHb) from heterologous expression in E. coli. Rd. trHb exhibits absorbance at 412, 538 and 572 nm bands with predominately alpha‐helical secondary structure. The phylogenetic classification suggests that Rd. trHb falls into group II trHbs, whereas sequence alignments indicate that it shares important heme pocket residues with both groups I and II trHbs. The resonance Raman spectra indicate that ferric Rd. trHb is mostly 6‐coordinate low‐spin and the ferrous form is a mixture of 5‐ and 6‐coordinated states. Two Fe‐His stretching modes were detected: one at 228 cm‐1, which represents an unconstrained neutral histidine as in other trHbs, and the other at 248 cm‐1, which has been reported in peroxidases and some flavohemoglobins that contain Fe‐His‐Asp (or Glu) catalytic triad, but not in trHbs. Further, Rd. trHb exhibits a significant peroxidase activity with a (kcat/Km) value three orders of magnitude higher than bovine Hb and only one order lower than horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The pH‐rate profiles yield a pKa value ~6.8. Homology modeling suggests that residues known to be important for interactions with heme‐bound ligands in group II trHbs from M. tuberculosis and B. subtilis are pointing toward to heme in Rd. trHb. Genomic organization and gene expression profiles imply possible functions for detoxification of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in vivo. Altogether, Rd. trHb exhibits some distinct features and appears equipped to help Roseobacters to cope with reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and/or operate redox biochemistry.

Peroxidase activity and involvement in the oxidative stress response of roseobacter denitrificans truncated hemoglobin.

Roseobacter denitrificans is a member of the widespread marine Roseobacter genus. We report the first characterization of a truncated hemoglobin from R. denitrificans (Rd. trHb) that was purified in the heme-bound form from heterologous expression of the protein in Escherichia coli. Rd. trHb exhibits predominantly alpha-helical secondary structure and absorbs light at 412, 538 and 572 nm. The phylogenetic classification suggests that Rd. trHb falls into group II trHbs, whereas sequence alignments indicate that it shares certain important heme pocket residues with group I trHbs in addition to those of group II trHbs. The resonance Raman spectra indicate that the isolated Rd. trHb contains a ferric heme that is mostly 6-coordinate low-spin and that the heme of the ferrous form displays a mixture of 5- and 6-coordinate states. Two Fe-His stretching modes were detected, notably one at 248 cm-1, which has been reported in peroxidases and some flavohemoglobins that contain an Fe-His-Asp (or Glu) catalytic triad, but was never reported before in a trHb. We show that Rd. trHb exhibits a significant peroxidase activity with a (k cat/K m) value three orders of magnitude higher than that of bovine Hb and only one order lower than that of horseradish peroxidase. This enzymatic activity is pH-dependent with a pK a value ~6.8. Homology modeling suggests that residues known to be important for interactions with heme-bound ligands in group II trHbs from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Bacillus subtilis are pointing toward to heme in Rd. trHb. Genomic organization and gene expression profiles imply possible functions for detoxification of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in vivo. Altogether, Rd. trHb exhibits some distinctive features and appears equipped to help the bacterium to cope with reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and/or to operate redox biochemistry.

Hemoglobin regulates the migration of glioma cells along poly(ε-caprolactone)-aligned nanofibers.

Aligned fibers have been shown to facilitate cell migration in the direction of fiber alignment while oxygen (O2 )-carrying solutions improve the metabolism of cells in hypoxic culture. Therefore, U251 aggregate migration on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-aligned fibers was studied in cell culture media supplemented with the O2 storage and transport protein hemoglobin (Hb) obtained from bovine, earthworm and human sources at concentrations ranging from 0 to 5 g/L within a cell culture incubator exposed to O2 tensions ranging from 1 to 19% O2 . Individual cell migration was quantified using a wound healing assay. In addition, U251 cell aggregates were developed and aggregate dispersion/cell migration quantified on PCL-aligned fibers. The results of this work show that the presence of bovine or earthworm Hb improved individual cell viability at 1% O2 , while human Hb adversely affected cell viability at increasing Hb concentrations and decreasing O2 levels. The control data suggests that decreasing the O2 tension in the incubator from 5 to 1% O2 decreased aggregate dispersion on the PCL-aligned fibers. However, the addition of bovine Hb at 5% O2 significantly improved aggregate dispersion. At 19% O2 , Hb did not impact aggregate dispersion. Also at 1% O2 , aggregate dispersion appeared to increase in the presence of earthworm Hb, but only at the latter time points. Taken together, these results show that Hb-based O2 carriers can be utilized to improve O2 availability and the migration of glioma spheroids on nanofibers.

Artificial oxygen carrier with pharmacologic actions of adenosine-5'-triphosphate, adenosine, and reduced glutathione formulated to treat an array of medical conditions.

Effective artificial oxygen carriers may offer a solution to tackling current transfusion medicine challenges such as blood shortages, red blood cell storage lesions, and transmission of emerging pathogens. These products, could provide additional therapeutic benefits besides oxygen delivery for an array of medical conditions. To meet these needs, we developed a hemoglobin (Hb)-based oxygen carrier, HemoTech, which utilizes the concept of pharmacologic cross-linking. It consists of purified bovine Hb cross-linked intramolecularly with open ring adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) and intermolecularly with open ring adenosine, and conjugated with reduced glutathione (GSH). In this composition, ATP prevents Hb dimerization, and adenosine promotes formation of Hb polymers as well as counteracts the vasoconstrictive and pro-inflammatory properties of Hb via stimulation of adenosine receptors. ATP also serves as a regulator of vascular tone through activation of purinergic receptors. GSH blocks Hb's extravasation and glomerular filtration by lowering the isoelectric point, as well as shields heme from nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species. HemoTech and its manufacturing technology have been broadly tested, including viral and prion clearance validation studies and various nonclinical pharmacology, toxicology, genotoxicity, and efficacy tests. The clinical proof-of-concept was carried out in sickle cell anemia subjects. The preclinical and clinical studies indicate that HemoTech works as a physiologic oxygen carrier and has efficacy in treating: (i) acute blood loss anemia by providing a temporary oxygen bridge while stimulating an endogenous erythropoietic response; (ii) sickle cell disease by counteracting vaso-occlusive/inflammatory episodes and anemia; and (iii) ischemic vascular diseases particularly thrombotic and restenotic events. The pharmacologic cross-linking of Hb with ATP, adenosine, and GSH showed usefulness in designing an artificial oxygen carrier for multiple therapeutic indications.