Abstract
This study was made to clarify the interactions of synthetic materials with human blood coagulation and complement system. Three kinds of test tubes of polyvinylchloride (PVC), hydrogel with long polyethyleneoxide chains (PEO-H) and heparinized hydrophilic polymer (H-PSD, Anthron) were evaluated. Fresh whole blood was put into the tubes and incubated at 37°C. Whole blood clotting times were 15 mins for PVC and 45 mins for PEO-H, but blood did not coagulate in the H-PSD tube. Contact activation of blood coagulation was significantly suppressed in the PEO-H tube because of volume restriction effects derived from the long FED chains. Antithrombogenicity of H-PSD was due to the complex made from heparin on the H-PSD surface and antithrombin III in the blood. C3a and C4a were elevated remarkably in the PVC tube, but in PEO-H, especially in the H-PSD tube, their elevations were suppressed. The C5a elevation was not seen in any tubes. It is concluded that complement activation was suppressed on the surfaces of antithrombogenic biomaterials.