Concentrated emulsions of perflubron in aqueous media.

Flocculation of o/w emulsions consisting of a perfluorochemical (PFC) emulsified by either phospholipids or decaglyceroldioleate (10-2-O) was assessed both by direct observation and through photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) and viscoelasticity measurements in unsteady oscillatory flow. Flocculation gives rise to emulsion instability but can be prevented (a) by the addition of a negatively charged surfactant to either phosphatidylcholine (PC) or 10-2-O, respectively the zwitterionic phospholipid and the nonionic surfactant used as primary emulsifiers, or (b) by using a saccharide solution as the continuous phase. The study indicates that both electrostatic (Coulombic) repulsive forces and hydration (steric) forces play a role in preventing flocculation. Various minor components of the egg yolk phospholipids (EYP) used in commercial emulsion preparation probably stabilize the emulsion by increasing both electrostatic and hydration repulsion.

Perfluorooctyl bromide dispersions in aqueous media for biomedical applications.

In studying perfluorooctyl bromide (PFOB) dispersions in aqueous media, we have used two types of surfactant: egg yolk phospholipids (EYP) and polyglycerol esters (PGE). Our interest in these dispersions arises from their potential biomedical applications as imaging solutions and oxygen-carrying solutions (i.e., blood substitutes). For EYP systems, we have identified the dispersion structure as consisting of (a) PFOB droplets (250-nm diameter) stabilized by a phospholipid monolayer adsorbed irreversibly at the o/w interface and (b) small empty phospholipid vesicles. With both surfactants commercial preparations yielded stable systems, while purified samples, being non-dispersible, could not be made to act as emulsifiers. In both cases, minor components in the commercial surfactant were found to be necessary for the formation of a stable dispersion, enabling the transport of the pure surfactant to the PFOB/water interface.