Development of a polysulfone membrane with explicit characteristics for separation of low density lipoprotein from blood plasma

Abstract

A polysulfone (PSf)-based membrane with a specific structure is developed by simultaneous combination of PVP-K90 as a hydrophilic high molecular weight (MW) polymer together with water as strong and glycerol as weak non-solvent additives, in order to separate low density lipoprotein (LDL) from blood plasma. Molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and molecular weight retention onset (MWRO) of membranes were evaluated and found that membranes with 1.1×106 - 1.2 × 106 Da MWCO (M-W1, M-G3 and M-G4) displayed the best performance in current application. Assessment of mean pore size indicated that the membranes with 36–41 nm mean pore diameter had the best performance based on solute transport method. The membrane separation performance toward blood plasma exhibited that the optimized membranes could separate LDL from blood plasma by over 75%. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors verified that a specifically optimized membrane has a positive role in lowering CVD risks. The data acquired from plasma fractionation accompany with the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies revealed that a double-compartment nodular morphology was effective to separate LDL from smooth passage of other vital components in the blood plasma. Low protein adsorption, prolonged prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) demonstrated membranes hemocompatibility. Also, cell viability assay confirmed membranes biocompatibility.