The new generation gelatins

Abstract

Summary Celatiri solutions o j various kinds have been used as intruvenous infusions since the Key wordsCntnplicwtions; anaphylactoid reactions. in/ravenous infusion; gelati ti solu ti ons. HistoryOnce the acceptability of intravenous fluid infusions had been cstablished around the turn of' the century. clinicians had to decide which solutions were the most beneficial and the debate on this issue continues today.' Crystalloid prcparations were readily available and inexpensive but they remained within the intravascular compartment only transiently before they were excreted or lost to the interstitial fluid spaces. Following Starling's concept that plasma volume is regulated by the oncotic pressure,* attempts were made to find a suitable colloid solution. Human plasma was suitable, but was scarce and expensive. Of the artificial preparations, the vegetable colloids such as acacia, pectin and gum arabic enjoyed a ~o g u e~,~ and were used for a time in the management of hypoproteinaemic states. e.g. the nephrotic ~y n d r o r n e .~ They gradually fell into disuse when a variety of unwanted side effects came to light; these included agglutination and interference with hepatic Gelatin. a macromolecular protein found in mammals. had potential as a colloidal solution.It was inexpensive, readily available, could be stored over long periods without degradation and seemed to possess low antigenic properties. It was thought that enzymatic pathways in man could split the compound to yield rnolccules which could be excreted or metaboliscd. However, gelatin also possessed the disadvantages of a high viscosity in solution, due to the molecular weight of 100 000, and preparations tended to gclate at lower temperatures. The first reports of the use in man of gelatin solutions appeared in 1915, when transfusion of blood was both difficult and potentially dangerous. It was realised then that salt solutions of

Protective effects of plasma replacement fluids on erythrocytes exposed to mechanical stress

“…Modified fluid gelatin is a negatively charged polypeptide [8]. In our study, mechanical haemolysis of red blood cells suspended in modified fluid gelatin was lower than that of erythrocytes in albumin solution.…”

Haemoconcentration by gelatin‐induced acceleration of erythrocyte sedimentation rate

“…Gelatin is a solution of electrostatically charged polypeptides with a wide range of molecular masses [3]. It increases erythrocyte aggregation by reducing the electrostatic repulsive forces after adsorption onto the red blood cell membranes [4][5][6].…”

Introduction

“…1.6). These were intensively researched during the First World War [6] and successfully used on a large scale during the Second World War. A further example is in the area of emergency medicine, where gelatine-based substances are used as blood replacement agents or plasma expanders (see Fig.…”