Amino-rich nanofiber membrane with favorable hemocompatibility for highly efficient removal of bilirubin from plasma

Bilirubin is a serious toxin in the blood of liver failure patients, and the development of bilirubin adsorbent with high removal efficiency, excellent hemocompatibility is crucial to improve the efficacy of hemoperfusion therapy. Herein, PAN/PEI nanofiber membrane (NFM) with amino-rich and smooth surface structure was prepared through a more facile co-blended electrospun method. During simulated adsorption experiments in vitro, PAN/PEI NFMs exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 142.79 mg g−1 for free bilirubin at clinical bilirubin concentration (100 mg L-1) in patients with liver failure. In addition, the bilirubin removal efficiency in static adsorption exceeded 96% when the PAN/PEI NFMs addition was greater than 120 mg. In particular, PAN/PEI NFMs displayed excellent hemocompatibility, presented a low hemolysis rate (0.4%), favorable anti-adhesion properties for hemocyte and plasma protein, and had no significant effect on coagulation. The development of this facile method promotes the feasibility of nanofibrous membranes for the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia with significant implications for improving therapeutic efficacy.