Determination of inositol hexaphosphate (IHP) in human IHP-loaded red blood cells by a simple high performance liquid chromatography method

The encapsulation of inositol hexaphosphate (IHP), one of the most efficient allosteric effectors of hemoglobin, into red cells (RBC) causes a rightward shift of the hemoglobin oxygen dissociation curve.1 IHP-loaded human erythrocytes display very high P50 values and almost normal functional properties in vitro2, and in vivo life span3; moreover, they seem to deliver oxygen to tissues more efficiently than normal red cells