In vitro evaluation of the platelet adhesion and interferon-γ production capacity of mononuclear cells coming in contact with a hydrophilic polymer-embedded polysulfone dialyzer

A polysulfone dialysis membrane containing both polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and the novel hydrophilic polymer (NV polymer) has been developed in an attempt to modify the blood contact surface of the membrane. In the present study, we performed an in vitro evaluation of the NV polymer-embedded membrane (NV membrane), focusing on the adhesion of blood cells to the membrane and the interferon (IFN)-γ production capacity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells coming in contact with the membrane. Two membranes, the NV membrane and the conventional membrane embedded with PVP alone (CX), were evaluated simultaneously by dividing the porcine blood obtained from the same animal into two portions. The blood cell adhesion to the membranes was evaluated by measuring the hemoglobin concentrations and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities in the eluates extracted from the membranes. The IFN-γ production capacity in response to phytohemagglutinin stimulation of mononuclear cells coming in contact with either membrane was evaluated. Both the hemoglobin concentration and LDH activity, corrected by excluding erythrocytes from the eluate, were about 25