The protein cluster
comprising a bovine hemoglobin (Hb) wrapped
covalently by human serum albumins (HSAs), Hb–HSA
m
cluster (m = 3.0 ± 0.2), is
a promising artificial O2 carrier as a red blood cell substitute.
Evaluating the safety and efficacy of the Hb–HSA
m
cluster solution in preclinical and clinical tests
necessitates enlargement of the preparation scale and establishment
of a simple purification system. This paper describes details of the
ideal synthesis of the Hb–HSA
m
cluster
and its O2 binding property. Results show that (i) N-succinimidyl 3-maleimidopropionate (SMP) is an appropriate
cross-linker and (ii) anion-exchange chromatography (AEC) is effective
for purification. Soluble SMP allows the combination of Hb with HSA
in a high protein concentration. Results demonstrate that AEC enables
us to separate the cluster and HSA by increasing the ionic strength
of the medium. Individual cluster components (Hb–HSA4, Hb–HSA3, Hb–HSA2, and Hb–HSA)
showed equal O2 affinity. Furthermore, we conducted chromogenic
limulus amebocyte lysate assay of lipopolysaccharides in the protein
cluster solution.