Title:Use of Hemoglobin for Delivering Exogenous Carbon Monoxide in Medicinal Applications
Volume: 27
Issue: 18
Author(s): Kazuaki Taguchi*, Toru Maruyama and Masaki Otagiri
Affiliation:
- Division of Pharmacodynamics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Keio University, Tokyo,Japan
Keywords:
Hemoglobin, carbon monoxide, red blood cell, hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers, anti-proliferative
effects, anti-apoptosis.
Abstract: Carbon Monoxide (CO), at low concentrations, can have a variety of positive effects on
the body including anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-proliferative effects.
Although CO has great potential for use as a potent medical bioactive gas, for it to exist in the body
in stable form, it must be associated with a carrier. Hemoglobin (Hb) represents a promising material
for use as a CO carrier because most of the total CO in the body is stored associated with Hb in red
blood cells (RBC). Attempts have been made to develop an Hb-based CO carrying system using
RBC and Hb-based artificial oxygen carriers. Some of these have been reported to be safe and to
have therapeutic value as a CO donor in preclinical and clinical studies. In the present review, we
overview the potential of RBC and Hb-based artificial oxygen carriers as CO carriers based on the
currently available literature evidence for their use in pharmaceutical therapy against intractable disorders.