Superoxide dismutase: improving its pharmacological properties by conjugation with human serum albumin.

Superoxide Dismutase has been reported to offer important pharmacological advantages in modifying oxygen toxicity as a result of its ability to scavenge oxygen free radicals. This has proven most exciting in reducing damage associated with post-reperfusion damage following myocardial ischemia. Unfortunately Superoxide Dismutase has a circulation life time of only a few minutes making the exact time of its administration crucial and somewhat impractical. We report here on the production of SOD-Albumin conjugates which have important advantages over free SOD in terms of stability, extended circulation time and reduced immunogenicity.