LYOPHILIZED BOVINE HEMOGLOBIN AS A POSSIBLE REFERENCE MATERIAL FOR THE DETERMINATION OF HEMOGLOBIN DERIVATIVES IN HUMAN BLOOD

We investigated the suitability of a lyophilized bovine hemoglobin (LB H) preparation containing various fractions of oxyhemoglobin (O(2)Hb), carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), and methemoglobin (MetHb) for quality asses sment in multicomponent analysis (MCA) of hemoglobin derivatives. It w as demonstrated that a stable preparation of these components after re constitution yields a hemoglobin solution that is spectrophotometrical ly equivalent with a fresh bovine hemoglobin solution. The preparation was found to be stable for at least 1 year when it is kept at 2-8 deg rees C and for 1 h after reconstitution. We determined the fractions o f O(2)Hb, COHb, and MetHb of several LBH preparations, using the compl ete spectra of 480-650 nm with 2-nm intervals and absorptivities as de termined for pure LBH solutions. A field trial involving various types of multiwavelength hemoglobin photometers showed the suitability of L BH as a quality-control material. Computer models of the various commo n multiwavelength hemoglobin photometers may be useful for establishin g more accurate target values of LBH preparations for each type of pho tometer and for studying the importance of the influence of specific f actors such as wavelength selection, absorptivity values, and interfer ing dyes.