Development of PVP40-Based Hemodialysis Membranes with prospects for mRNA Therapeutics Delivery
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56294/saludcyt20251901Keywords:
Membrane biocompatibility, Polyethersulfone (PES), Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS), Hydrophilicity Porosity, Water contact angle (WCA), mRNA delivery, Lipid nanoparticles (LNP)Abstract
Introduction:
Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in developing advanced hemodialysis membranes with improved hydrophilicity, porosity, and structural stability to enhance renal care. Given the hierarchical pore structure and biocompatible surface of PES/PVP40 membranes, we explored their potential as platforms for RNA-based therapies, offering new possibilities to integrate drug delivery into existing dialysis systems.
Method:
PES-based membranes were fabricated using NIPS with PVP40 to enhance hydrophilicity and hierarchical porosity. Key parameters—such as water contact angle (WCA), porosity, urea and creatinine clearance, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection—were analyzed to evaluate membrane performance.
Results:
The PVP40-modified membranes showed superior characteristics: WCA of 46.6°, porosity of 51.7%, high urea (69.7%) and creatinine (73.4%) clearance, and balanced BSA rejection (86.1%). Extended isopropanol soaking further improved hydrophilicity, porosity, and mechanical strength, emphasizing the value of post-treatment methods.
Conclusion:
This study shows that PVP40 significantly enhances membrane performance by improving hydrophilicity and porosity. The results highlight the importance of additive selection, fabrication techniques, and post-treatment strategies. Future research should explore the feasibility of using PES/PVP40 membranes as multifunctional platforms for simultaneous detoxification and targeted RNA delivery, potentially transforming hemodialysis into a personalized molecular therapy.
References
1. Irfan M, Irfan M, Idris A, Baig N, Saleh T, Nasiri R, et al. Fabrication and performance evaluation of blood compatible hemodialysis membrane using carboxylic multiwall carbon nanotubes and low molecular weight polyvinylpyrrolidone based nanocomposites. Journal of biomedical materials research Part A [Internet]. 2018;107 3:513–25. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/fabrication-performance-evaluation-blood-hemodialysis-irfan/7a49216f2f955caaa999464146c587e7/
2. Ho CC, Su J, Cheng L. Fabrication of high-flux asymmetric polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes by nonsolvent induced phase separation process: Effects of H2O contents in the dope. Polymer [Internet]. 2021;217:123451. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/fabrication-highflux-asymmetric-ultrafiltration-ho/8b4c2753a5295677924b4a9f26194449/
3. Hayder A, Hussain A, Khan A, Waheed H. Fabrication and characterization of cellulose acetate/hydroxyapatite composite membranes for the solute separations in Hemodialysis. Polymer Bulletin. 2018;75:1197–210.
4. Filimon A, Dobos A, Musteata V. New perspectives on development of polysulfones/cellulose derivatives based ionic-exchange membranes: Dielectric response and hemocompatibility study. Carbohydrate polymers. 2019;226:115300.
5. Jian-mei Z. Traditional Cultures and Mental Health of Contemporary People. Hebei Academic Journal. 2003;
6. Lusiana RA, Sangkota VDA, Sasongko N, Gunawan G, Wijaya A, Santosa SJ, et al. Permeability improvement of polyethersulfone-polietylene glycol (PEG-PES) flat sheet type membranes by tripolyphosphate-crosslinked chitosan (TPP-CS) coating. International journal of biological macromolecules [Internet]. 2020; Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/permeability-improvement-polyethersulfonepolietylene-lusiana/f5da1542cf18535cbc67a619438f1e16/
7. Kohlová M, Amorim C, Da Nova Araújo A, Santos-Silva A, Solich P, Montenegro M. In vitro assessment of polyethylene glycol and polyvinylpyrrolidone as hydrophilic additives on bioseparation by polysulfone membranes. Journal of Materials Science. 2020;55:1292–307.
8. Teotia R, Verma S, Kalita D, Singh A, Dahe G, Bellare J. Porosity and compatibility of novel polysulfone-/vitamin E-TPGS-grafted composite membrane. Journal of Materials Science. 2017;52:12513–23.
9. Zhang Q, Lu X, Zhang Q, Zhang L, Li S, Liu S. Flux and Passage Enhancement in Hemodialysis by Incorporating Compound Additive into PVDF Polymer Matrix. Membranes [Internet]. 2016;6. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/flux-passage-enhancement-hemodialysis-incorporating-zhang/6a95e7f0031e57d5abe2c272d765d1e8/
10. Nie C, Yang Y, Peng Z, Cheng C, Lang, Zhao C. Aramid nanofiber as an emerging nanofibrous modifier to enhance ultrafiltration and biological performances of polymeric membranes. Journal of Membrane Science. 2017;528:251–63.
11. Amiri S, Asghari A, Vatanpour V, Rajabi M. Fabrication and characterization of a novel polyvinyl alcohol-graphene oxide-sodium alginate nanocomposite hydrogel blended PES nanofiltration membrane for improved water purification. Separation and Purification Technology. 2020;
12. Waheed H, Hussain A. Effect of Polyvinyl Pyrolidone on Morphology and Performance of Cellulose Acetate Based Dialysis Membrane. Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research. 2019;
13. Jalali A, Shockravi A, Vatanpour V, Hajibeygi M. Preparation and characterization of novel microporous ultrafiltration PES membranes using synthesized hydrophilic polysulfide-amide copolymer as an additive in the casting solution. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. 2016;228:1–13.
14. Deppisch R, Storr M, Buck R, Göhl H. Blood material interactions at the surfaces of membranes in medical applications. Separation and Purification Technology. 1998;14:241–54.
15. Abidin MNZ, Goh PS, Ismail AF, Othman MHD, Hasbullah H, Said N, et al. Development of biocompatible and safe polyethersulfone hemodialysis membrane incorporated with functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Vol. 77, Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications. 2017. p. 572–82.
16. Beek O, Pavlenko D, Stamatialis D. Hollow fiber membranes for long-term hemodialysis based on polyethersulfone-SlipSkinTM polymer blends. Journal of Membrane Science [Internet]. 2020; Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/hollow-fiber-membranes-longterm-hemodialysis-based-beek/a92f6f38ff335fc98fe193de73c41c59/
17. Junaidi N, Khalil N, Jahari A, Shaari N, Shahruddin M, Alias N, et al. Effect of Graphene Oxide (GO) on the Surface Morphology & Hydrophilicity of Polyethersulfone (PES). IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. 2018;358.
18. Basri H, Ismail A, Aziz M. Polyethersulfone (PES)-silver composite UF membrane: effect of silver loading and PVP molecular weight on membrane morphology and antibacterial activity. Desalination [Internet]. 2011;273:72–80. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/polyethersulfone-pessilver-membrane-effect-silver-basri/7714b40ccdf75c89a5c27e157fd60823/
19. Karimipour H, Shahbazi A, Vatanpour V. Fouling decline and retention increase of polyethersulfone membrane by incorporating melamine-based dendrimer amine functionalized graphene oxide nanosheets (GO/MDA). Journal of environmental chemical engineering. 2021;9:104849.
20. Junaidi N, Othman N, Shahruddin M, Alias N, Lau W, Ismail A. Effect of graphene oxide (GO) and polyvinylpyrollidone (PVP) additives on the hydrophilicity of composite polyethersulfone (PES) membrane. Malaysian Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences. 2019;
21. Giwa A, Hasan S. Novel polyethersulfone-functionalized graphene oxide (PES-fGO) mixed matrix membranes for wastewater treatment. Separation and Purification Technology. 2020;241:116735.
22. Cervellere M, Qian X, Ford D, Carbrello C, Giglia S, Millett P. Phase-field modeling of non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) for PES/NMP/Water with comparison to experiments. Journal of Membrane Science [Internet]. 2021;619:118779. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/phasefield-modeling-nonsolvent-induced-separation-nips-cervellere/e2378d4103cb5804890d2a114985efba/
23. Jung J, Kim J, Wang HH, Nicolò E, Drioli E, Lee Y. Understanding the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) effect during the fabrication of microporous PVDF membranes via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). Journal of Membrane Science [Internet]. 2016;514:250–63. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/understanding-nonsolvent-phase-separation-nips-effect-jung/8d1de6c4103e59c7915c8c199f98aa41/
24. Jiang P, He Y, Zhao Y, Chen L. Hierarchical Surface Architecture of Hemodialysis Membranes for Eliminating Homocysteine Based on the Multifunctional Role of Pyridoxal 5΄-Phosphate. ACS applied materials & interfaces. 2020;
25. Zhong D, Wang Z, Zhou J, Wang Y. Additive-free preparation of hemodialysis membranes from block copolymers of polysulfone and polyethylene glycol. Journal of Membrane Science. 2021;
26. Said N, Hasbullah H, Ismail A, Othman M, Goh P, Abidin MNZ, et al. Enhanced hydrophilic polysulfone hollow fiber membranes with addition of iron oxide nanoparticles. Polymer International. 2017;66:1424–9.
27. Amiri S, Asghari A, Vatanpour V, Rajabi M. Fabrication of chitosan-aminopropylsilane graphene oxide nanocomposite hydrogel embedded PES membrane for improved filtration performance and lead separation. Journal of environmental management. 2021;294:112918.
28. Irfan M, Idris A. Overview of PES biocompatible/hemodialysis membranes: PES-blood interactions and modification techniques. Materials science & engineering C, Materials for biological applications [Internet]. 2015;56:574–92. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/overview-biocompatiblehemodialysis-membranes-pesblood-irfan/6d31c1a44725534f816ac4d7c6d9c0ee/
29. Khabibi K, Siswanta D, Mudasir M. Preparation, Characterization, and In Vitro Hemocompatibility of Glutaraldehyde-Crosslinked Chitosan/Carboxymethylcellulose as Hemodialysis Membrane. Indonesian Journal of Chemistry. 2021;
30. Ismail A, Raharjo Y, Othman M, Rosid S, Azali M, Santoso D. Effect of Polymer Loading on Membrane Properties and Uremic Toxins Removal for Hemodialysis Application. Journal of Membrane Science and Research. 2020;
31. Mollahosseini A, Saadati S, Abdelrasoul A. Effects of mussel‐inspired co‐deposition of 2‐hydroxymethyl methacrylate and poly (2‐methoxyethyl acrylate) on the hydrophilicity and binding tendency of common hemodialysis membranes: Molecular dynamics simulations and molecular docking studies. Journal of Computational Chemistry. 2021;43:57.
32. Marjani A, Nakhjiri AT, Adimi M, Jirandehi HF, Shirazian S. Effect of graphene oxide on modifying polyethersulfone membrane performance and its application in wastewater treatment. Scientific Reports. 2020;10.
33. Irfan M, Irfan M, Shah SM, Baig N, Saleh TA, Ahmed M, et al. Hemodialysis performance and anticoagulant activities of PVP-k25 and carboxylic-multiwall nanotube composite blended Polyethersulfone membrane. Vol. 103, Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications. 2019. p. 109769.
34. Yang F, Tao F, Li C, Gao L, Yang P. Self-assembled membrane composed of amyloid-like proteins for efficient size-selective molecular separation and dialysis. Nature Communications. 2018;9.
35. Li R, Xu J, Wang T, Wang L, Li F, Liu S, et al. Dynamically Tunable Ultrathin Protein Membranes for Controlled Molecular Separation. ACS applied materials & interfaces. 2021;
36. Song HM, Ran F, Fan H, Niu XQ, Kang L, Zhao C. Hemocompatibility and ultrafiltration performance of surface-functionalized polyethersulfone membrane by blending comb-like amphiphilic block copolymer. Journal of Membrane Science [Internet]. 2014;471:319–27. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/hemocompatibility-ultrafiltration-performance-song/43fe147d376054c494fff0de69a0d390/
37. Neelakandan C, Chang T, Alexander T, Define L, Evancho-Chapman M, Kyu T. In vitro evaluation of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of genistein-modified hemodialysis membranes. Biomacromolecules [Internet]. 2011;12 7:2447–55. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/evaluation-antiinflammatory-properties-neelakandan/2bc36428db35500f9e9de80d8a7baa89/
38. Babinchak W, Dumm B, Venus S, Boyko S, Putnam A, Jankowsky E, et al. Small molecules as potent biphasic modulators of protein liquid-liquid phase separation. Nature Communications. 2020;11.
39. Xu D, Pan G, Ge Y, Yang X. Preparation of a Low-Protein-Fouling and High-Protein-Retention Membrane via Novel Pre-Hydrolysis Treatment of Polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Membranes. 2023;13.
40. Dehghan R, Barzin J. Development of a polysulfone membrane with explicit characteristics for separation of low density lipoprotein from blood plasma. Polymer Testing. 2020;85:106438.
41. Hasheminasab S, Barzin J, Dehghan R. High-Performance Hemodialysis Membrane: Influence of Polyethylene Glycol and Polyvinylpyrrolidone in the Polyethersulfone Membrane. Journal of Membrane Science and Research [Internet]. 2020;6:438–48. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/highperformance-hemodialysis-membrane-influence-hasheminasab/7142413f8293581e8412e6c6b8fec722/
42. Wang Q, Zeng H, Wu ZC, Cao J. Impact of sodium hypochlorite cleaning on the surface properties and performance of PVDF membranes. Applied Surface Science. 2018;428:289–95.
43. Zargar M, Jin B, Dai S. An integrated statistic and systematic approach to study correlation of synthesis condition and desalination performance of thin film composite membranes. Desalination. 2016;394:138–47.
44. Yang C, Xu W, Nan Y, Wang Y, Chen XH. Novel negatively charged nanofiltration membrane based on 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane for dye removal. Separation and Purification Technology. 2020;248:117089.
45. Malashin I, Daibagya D, Tynchenko V, Gantimurov A, Nelyub V, Borodulin A. Predicting Diffusion Coefficients in Nafion Membranes during the Soaking Process Using a Machine Learning Approach. Polymers. 2024;16.
46. Yao N, Chau J, Elele E, Khusid B, Sirkar K, Dehn D. Characterization of microporous ECTFE membrane after exposure to different liquid media and radiation. Journal of Membrane Science. 2017;532:89–104.
47. Wang H, Yu T, Zhao C, Du QY. Improvement of hydrophilicity and blood compatibility on polyethersulfone membrane by adding polyvinylpyrrolidone. Fibers and Polymers [Internet]. 2009;10:1–5. Available from: https://consensus.app/papers/improvement-hydrophilicity-blood-compatibility-wang/aa16f38661a05e029483e19d58c8b490/
48. Mollahosseini A, Argumeedi S, Abdelrasoul A, Shoker A. A case study of poly (aryl ether sulfone) hemodialysis membrane interactions with human blood: Molecular dynamics simulation and experimental analyses. Vol. 197, Computer methods and programs in biomedicine. 2020. p. 105742.
49. An Z, Xu RS, Dai F, Xue G, He X, Zhao Y, et al. PVDF/PVDF- g -PACMO blend hollow fiber membranes for hemodialysis: preparation, characterization, and performance. RSC Advances. 2017;7:26593–600.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Rias Gesang Kinanti, Ronal Surya Aditya, Yanuardi Raharjo, Yeni Rahmawati, Ni’matul Izza, Sari Edi Cahyaningrum, Andreas Budi Wijaya, Lintang Widya Sishartami, Sumari Sumari, Muhammad Hafidz Ramadhan (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Unless otherwise stated, associated published material is distributed under the same licence.