Open AccessVitamin E-derived copolymers continue the challenge to hemodialysis biomaterials
Author(s) -
Francesco Galli
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
world journal of nephrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2220-6124
DOI - 10.5527/wjn.v1.i4.100
Subject(s) - biomaterial , medicine , biocompatibility , clinical practice , dialysis , biocompatible material , intensive care medicine , polysulfone , hemodialysis , nanotechnology , membrane , biomedical engineering , surgery , materials science , engineering , chemistry , chemical engineering , biochemistry , nursing
Improving material biocompatibility has been a continuous effort and remains a major goal of dialysis therapy. In this respect, vitamin E-modified copolymers have been used to produce a generation of biomaterials that has offered new clinical challenges and the chance of further improving the quality of synthetic hemodialyser membranes. This mini review article describes the evolution of these copolymers that only recently have been adopted to develop new vitamin E-modified polysulfone hemodialysers. Biomaterial characteristics and clinical aspects of these membranes are discussed, starting from the most recent contributions that have appeared in the literature that are of interest for the community of nephrology and dialysis specialists, as well as biomaterial scientists.