Synthesis, characterization of chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol membranes and nanofibers and their biocompatibility with blood components: In future application for hemodialysis membranes

It is essential to explore ways to enhance the biocompatibility of hemodialysis (HD) and hemoperfusion (HP) materials, with the aim of reducing their adverse effects. One potential approach is to fuse Chitosan (CS) with Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), as this has been shown to improve its biocompatibility. In this work, CS/PVA membranes and nanofibers were synthesized and characterized to evaluate their blood biocompatibility. We used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterize the materials. The biocompatibility of the CS/PVA nanostructures was determined by the percentage of hemolysis, blood morphology by the Wright stain and apoptosis by the acridine orange/propidium iodide (AO/PI) stain. The results showed an interaction between CS and PVA in the membranes and in the nanofibers. When used as filters, the CS/PVA membrane changes and this change is drastic in CS/PVA nanofibers. The membrane and the dialyzer fibers caused a hemolysis of 20.40 % and 9.51 % respectively, with a significant difference of p = 0.025. When the blood was filtered with the CS/PVA membrane, membrane rupture was observed in 2 ± 1 granulocytes per field. The CS/PVA membrane does not produce necrotic cells; however, 5 ± 2 apoptotic lymphocytes per field were found. In the CS/PVA nanofibre, 6 ± 2 necrotic and 3 ± 1 apoptotic lymphocytes per field were observed. The CS/PVA membrane showed blood biocompatibility.