Gallez B, Debuyst R, Liu KJ, Demeure R, Dejehet F, Swartz HM
Laboratory of Medical Chemistry, University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
The development of oxygen-sensitive paramagnetic materials is being
actively pursued because of their potential applications for in vivo electron
paramagnetic resonance (EPR) oximetry. Among these materials, fusinite
is of particular interest because of the high sensitivity of the EPR linewidth
to the partial pressure pO2. Although this material has led to a number
of very useful results in experimental systems, its potential use in humans
is limited by the need to prove that it will not cause deleterious effects.
The strategy used in this study to optimize the biocompatibility of the
oxygen-sensitive materials was to prepare small silicon implants containing
the fusinite. The use of silicon permits the diffusion of oxygen inside
the implant while the material does not have contact with the biological
environment. Radiosterilization did not affect the pO2 sensitivity of the
material. The feasibility of performing pO2 measurement was verified in
vivo by periodically inducing ischemia in the gastrocnemius muscle of mice
over a period of 6 weeks.
PMID: 8774004, UI: 96370065