Blood substitutes made on the basis of perfluorocarbons inhibit intracellular energy generation

Although perfluorocarbons (PFC) are chemically inert, toxic reactions are observed on using them as fluorocarbon emulsions in blood substitutes. Six to twelve hours after exchanging about half of the circulating blood of conscious rats pathobiochemical reactions occur despite a high interarterial oxygen pressure. They indicate the disturbance of intracellular energy generation, which is characterized by a decrease in ATP, increase in ADP, inorganic phosphate and potassium, increase in NADH and lactate. Impurities of perfluorocarbons and effects of the surfactant were excluded to be causes of this disturbance. The following hypotheses were proposed: Storing of perfluorocarbons in the mitochondrial membrane decreases the ATP-forming proton gradient on the membrane and the electron transport in cytochromes is disturbed, respectively.