Vincent J. Capponi

Cytokine Removal with a Novel Adsorbent Polymer

Background/Aims: We sought to characterize a novel adsorbent polymer in terms of cytokine removal. Methods: We challenged 50 rats with lipopolysaccharide to obtain cytokine-rich blood and circulated this through cartridges containing polymer. In separate experiments, cell-free supernatants were passed through cartridges containing polymer. We measured tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 10 and interleukin 6 concentrations under a variety of conditions to evaluate adsorption kinetics. Results: All three cytokines were rapidly removed from the blood with less than 50% of the initial concentrations present after 1 h of circulation through the cartridge. There was no significant difference in the effect across a range of blood flows and Ca2+ concentrations. Adsorption was decreased somewhat by extremely low temperature (4°C). Conclusion: The adsorbent polymer removes cytokines with high efficiency, and binding is relatively unaffected by a variety of physical conditions.

The Potential Application of Sorbents in Peritoneal Dialysis

Sorbents have been designed to remove small and middle molecular weight toxins, including low molecular weight proteins, peptides, cytokines and chemokines in patients undergoing renal replacement therapy. Sorbents assist the process of peritoneal dialysate regeneration and have the potential to improve the efficiency of continuous flow peritoneal dialysis.

Experimental First-Pass Method for Testing and Comparing Sorbent Polymers Used in the Clearance of Iodine Contrast Materials

Background: Sorbents have been shown to adsorb iodinated radiocontrast media. Objective: In this study we describe a simple method to compare various sorbents in terms of capacity to adsorb radiocontrast media. Methods: Iodixanol solution was injected into columns filled with three types of sorbent at filtration velocities of increasing magnitude. Two variables of interest – contrast removal rate and matched iodine retention (MIR) – were calculated to measure the adsorption efficiency and the mass of contrast iodine adsorbed versus sorbent used, respectively. Results: The highest contrast removal and MIR for Porapak Q, CST 401 and Amberlite XAD4 were 41, 38 and 16% (p = 0.22 and 0.0005 for comparisons between Porapak Q-CST 401 and CST 401-Amberlite XAD4) and 0.060, 0.055 and 0.024, respectively (p = 0.18 and 0.0008). Extrapolation to a clinical scenario may suggest that removal of 8 ml iodixanol could be achieved by masses of sorbents of 43, 47 and 107 g, respectively. Conclusion: In this study we set a benchmark for comparing the radiocontrast-adsorbing efficiency of polymer sorbents during first-pass experiments, using a readily available methodology.

Front & Back Matter

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