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Towards hemerythrin-based blood substitutes: Comparative performance to hemoglobin on human leukocytes and umbilical vein endothelial cells

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Abstract

Hemerythrin is a dioxygen-carrying protein whose oxidative/nitrosative stress-related reactivity is lower than that of hemoglobin, which may warrant investigation of hemerythrin as raw material for artificial oxygen carriers (‘blood substitutes’). We report here the first biological tests for hemerythrin and its chemical derivatives, comparing their performance with that of a representative competitor, glutaraldehyde-polymerized bovine hemoglobin. Hemerythrin (native or derivatized) exhibits a proliferative effect on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) cultures, as opposed to a slight inhibitory effect of hemoglobin. A similar positive effect is displayed on human lymphocytes by glutaraldehyde-polymerized hemerythrin, but not by native or polyethylene glycol-derivatized hemerythrin.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA:

analysis of variance

FCS:

fetal calf serum

Hb:

hemoglobin

Hr:

Hemerythrin

HUVEC:

human umbilical vein endothelial cell

MTS:

3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethonyphenol)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium

MTT:

3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide

PBS:

phosphate buffer saline

PEG-Hr:

polyethylene glycol-derivatized Hr

PMS:

phenazine methosulphate

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Romanian Ministry for Education and Research (grants PNII ID565/2007 and PCCE 140/2008) and by PhD scholarships to FD and AM (Contract POSDRU/88/1.5/S/60185 – ‘Innovative doctoral studies in a knowledge based society’).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ion Chiricuta Cancer Institute – Comprehensive Cancer Center, 34–36 Republicii St, Cluj-Napoca, 400015, Romania

    Eva Fischer-Fodor

  2. Department of Chemistry, Babes-Bolyai University, 11 Arany Janos Street, Cluj-Napoca, 400028, Romania

    Augustin Mot, Florina Deac, Mariann Arkosi & Radu Silaghi-Dumitrescu

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  1. Eva Fischer-Fodor
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  2. Augustin Mot
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  3. Florina Deac
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  4. Mariann Arkosi
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  5. Radu Silaghi-Dumitrescu
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[Fischer-Fodor E, Mot A, Deac F, Arkosi M, Silaghi-Dumitrescu R 2011 Towards hemerythrin-based blood substitutes: Comparative performance to hemoglobin on human leukocytes and umbilical vein endothelial cells. J. Biosci. 36 XXX–XXX] DOI

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Fischer-Fodor, E., Mot, A., Deac, F. et al. Towards hemerythrin-based blood substitutes: Comparative performance to hemoglobin on human leukocytes and umbilical vein endothelial cells. J Biosci 36, 215–221 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-011-9066-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-011-9066-5

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