Hemocompatibility and anaphylatoxin formation of protein-immobilizing polyacrylonitrile hemodialysis membrane

Plasma proteins were covalently immobilized onto polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane to evaluate the hemocompatibility and anaphylatoxin formation. This is used as a model to study the effect of protein-adsorption on the blood-contacting response of hemodializing membranes. The proteins used were either platelet-adhesion-promoting collagen (COL) or platelet-adhesion-inhibiting human serum albumin (HSA). The microstructure and characterization of the protein-immobilizing PAN membranes were evaluated by Coomassie dye assay, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and water contact angle measurement. PAN–HSA membrane improved not only hemocompatibility including less platelet adhesion, longer blood coagulation times, and higher thrombin inactivity level, but also induced lower complement activation. On the other hand, PAN–COL membrane exhibited blood incompatibility, although induced less increase of C3, C4 antigens of serum. Overall results of this study demonstrated that the immobilization of HSA onto the surface of PAN membrane would be beneficial to improve the hemocompatibility and to reduce the anaphylatoxin formation during hemodialysis.