Abstract
The clinical effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) grafted cellulose (new modified cellulose: New MC) membrane on blood-membrane interaction were examined. 5 regular hemodialysis (HD) patients underwent HD using 4 kinds of dialyzer, original cellulose (OC), and New MC-1, 2, and 3. In the latter three, 180, 100, and 60 μg PEG were grafted on gram hollow fiber, respectively. Dialysis induced complement activation, leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, production of platelet releasing factors and G-elastase were significantly suppressed in New MC roughly depending on grafted PEG amount. Membrane adsorption of protein and of blood cells estimated by LDH level and SEM were also suppressed corresponding to the grafted PEG. The minimum requirement dose (MD) of heparin, 2000±794 in OC, was reduced to 667±207 U/HD in New MC, and under the former dose, New MC-2 less elevated thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT) than OC at the end of HD. These results indi-cate that diffusion barrier, resulted from the free random movement of the grafted PEG chain on New MC, can effectively prevent blood-membrane interaction, then New MC is beneficial HD membrane which provides better biocompatibility and less thrombo-genecity and heparin requirement.
