by Keyword: Synthetic membrane
Kostadinova, A., Seifert, B., Albrecht, W., Malsch, G., Groth, T., Lendlein, A., Altankov, G., (2009). Novel polymer blends for the preparation of membranes for biohybrid liver systems 
Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition , 20, (5-6), 821-839
It was found previously that membranes based on co-polymers of acrylonitrile (AN) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propansulfonic acid (AMPS) greatly stimulated the functionality and survival of primary hepatocytes. In those studies, however, the pure AN-AMPS co-polymer had poor membrane-forming properties, resulting in quite dense rubber-like membranes. Hence, membranes with required permeability and optimal biocompatibility were obtained by blending the AN-AMPS co-polymer with poly(acrylonitrile) homopolymer (PAN). The amount of PAN (P) and AN-AMPS (A) in the blend was varied from pure PAN (P/A-100/0) over P/A-75/25 and P/A-50/50 to pure AN-AMPS co-polymer (P/A-0/100). A gradual decrease of molecular cut-off of membranes with increase of AMPS concentration was found, which allows tailoring membrane permeability as necessary. C3A hepatoblastoma cells were applied as a widely accepted cellular model for assessment of hepatocyte behaviour by attachment, viability, growth and metabolic activity. It was found that the blend P/A-50/50, which possessed an optimal permeability for biohybrid liver systems, supported also the attachment, growth and function of C3A cells in terms of fibronectin synthesis and P-450 isoenzyme activity. Hence, blend membranes based on a one to one mixture of PAN and AN-AMPS combine sufficient permeability with the desired cellular compatibility for application in bioreactors for liver replacement.
JTD Keywords: Bioartificial liver, C3A cells, Fibronectin, P-450, Synthetic membrane
