Development of the Method to Control Blood Viscosity and Hematocrit in an Experimental Animal by Periodically Injection of Polymer : To Apply to Hydrodynamic Studies(<Special Issue>Bioengineering of Biological and Medical Materials)

Abstract

The effects of the long-term injection of a quite small amount of a polymer substance, Separan, on blood viscosity were studied in detail using 24 Japanese white rabbits. The same effects for rabbits fed on a cholesterol-rich diet were also studied. The rabbits were divided into 4 groups: Control group (CO), Separan group (SE), cholesterol group (CH), and cholesterol-Separan group (CS). Every rabbit were given the same amount of diets. The rabbits in the SE and CS groups were injected intravenously a small volume of Separan solution 3 times a week to maintain its concentration in plasma at approximately 60 ppm, while the rabbits in the CO and CH groups were injected the same volume of saline. Blood was sampled at regular intervals to monitor the changes in blood compositions. Blood viscosity was measured at 20 weeks. It was found that blood viscosity and it's non-Newtonianity was significantly lowered by injecting Separan. Red blood cells decreased by injecting Separan, while other blood compositions didn't change drastically. These results indicate that the alteration of blood viscosity can achieve in vivo by the oresent method, in which Separan affects blood viscosity by lowering hematocrit in either case of diet feeding to rabbits.