Examination with a Mathematical Model of an Absorption Effect of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) by a Difference of Dialysis Membrane Materials

Abstract

The concentrations of hepatitis C virus (HCV) are reported to be lower in dialysis patients than those in HCV-positive non-dialysis patients. In order to explain this clinical view, we modeled the adsorption phenomenon of the HCV antigen in the dialysis membrane surface with the Langmuir's adsorption isotherm, and proposed the mathematical model in consideration of the adsorption effect of HCV by the dialysis membrane. Therefore we conducted the recirculation experiment with various dialysis membrane in vitro system, and conducted curve fitting based on that result in order to examine the validity of this model. We perfused albumin (Alb) solution containing HCV and physiological salt solution containing HCV in the blood circuit connected to a regenerated cellulose (CU) membrane, cellulose triacetate (CTA) membrane, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) membrane, or polysulfone (PS) membrane, and measured quantities of HCV antigen and Alb over time. Further to consider the effect of Alb on the dialysis membrane, we analyzed the quantity of adsorption of the HCV antigen under Alb mixture and under Alb free in each dialysis membrane, and calculated the coefficient of adsorption rate and the quantity of the maximum adsorption of the HCV antigen for every dialysis membrane. The quantity of HCV antigen adsorption by PS membrane was 26.8 fmol under Alb solution and 29.0 fmol under physiological salt solution, was the maximum rather than other dialysis membranes, and the coefficient of adsorption rate was the fastest with PS membrane. In conclusion, the usefulness of the model which we created was suggested and we determined the useful dialysis membrane as reduction of the amount of HCV antigens in HCV-positive dialysis patients.