COMMENTS ON THE PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY OF TREHALOSE AS A STORAGE MEDIUM FOR HEMOGLOBIN-BASED BLOOD SUBSTITUTES - FROM KRAMERS THEORY TO THE BATTLEFIELD

A glass of the naturally-occurring sugar trehalose may be a suitable m edium for the storage of hemoglobin-based blood substitutes. Trehalose has many or possibly all of the properties required for this purpose, including solubilization of hemoglobin to a very-high concentration, lack of toxicity, slowing of oxidation to the non;oxygen binding methe moglobin, stability at room temperature and above, and ease of transpo rt. It should also be possible to prepare hemoglobin extremely rapidly for injection into the circulation in situations where blood replacem ent is required immediately, as in a domestic emergency room or on the battlefield. These practical considerations are briefly discussed, as well as the theoretical reasons for slowing of chemical reactions in the glassy state.