Emulsions of perfluoro compounds as solvents for nitric oxide (NO)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION This invention discloses an emulsion comprising a perfluoro compound and nitric oxide and uses thereof.
Methods of preparing such a nitric oxide source suitable for in vivo administration are described.
These comprise dissolving nitric oxide in a perfluoro compound emulsion solvent.
This method is useful for treating a mammal with nitric oxide by administering an emulsion comprising a perfluoro compound and nitric oxide.
Exemplary conditions benefitting from appropriate nitric oxide treatment include hypertension, angina, preeclampsia and a wide variety of additional conditions, for example, those involving unduly restricted blood flow.
The nitric oxide and perfluoro compound-containing emulsions of the present invention preferably involve a perfluorinated hydrocarbon as the perfluorinated compound, although perfluorinated heterocyclics, hydrocarbon amine or analogous types of compounds may be utilized.
Preferred perfluoro compounds include: perfluorinated decalin, perfluorinated adamantane, perfluorinated tributylamine, perfluorinated tripropylamine, perfluorinated N-methyl-isoquinoline, perfluorinated N-(4-methylcyclohexyl)-piperidine), perfluorinated 2-n-butyl-tetrahydrofuran, perfluorooctyl-ethane, perfluorohexyl-ethane, 1,2-bis(perfluorobutyl)-ethene or 1,2-bis(perfluorohexyl)-ethene.
An important aspect of the present invention is preparing emulsions comprising a perfluoro compound and nitric oxide suitable for in vivo administration.
Such administration should be in a therapeutically effective amount, i.
e.
, that amount correcting the particular biological problem.
The administration may be parenteral, topical or intracavitary.
An intravascular administration may be a preferred mode of parenteral administration, for example, for treatment of hypertension.
Intracavitary administration may be, for example, bronchial (by inhalation) cervical, uteral or vaginal (for remedying disorders of the reproductive tract), oral (for example, held contained in a pouch) or anal