Fabrication and cytocompatibility evaluation for blood-compatible polyethersulfone membrane modified by a synthesized poly (vinyl pyrrolidone)-block-poly (acrylate-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate))-block-poly-(vinyl pyrrolidone)

Polyethersulfone (PES) membrane, one of the most important polymeric materials because of its good chemical resistance, thermal stability, mechanical, and film-forming properties, has already been used in hemodialysis, tissue engineering, and artificial organs. In order to improve the blood compatibility of PES membrane, many amphiphilic block copolymers have been synthesized and used as additives for surface modification. The object of this study is to develop a hydrophilic PES membrane by blending a comblike amphiphilic block copolymer poly (vinyl pyrrolidone)-block-poly [acrylate-graft-poly (methyl methacrylate)]-block-poly-(vinyl pyrrolidone) [PVP-b-P (AE-g-PMMA)-b-PVP] synthesized by RAFT polymerization. The cytocompatibility performance of PVP-b-P (AE-g-PMMA)-b-PVP modified PES membrane was evaluated, which showed better cytocompatibility compared with that of pristine PES membrane. Endothelial cells cultured on the modified membranes present improved growth in terms of scanning electron microscope observation, MTT assay, and confocal laser scanning microscope observation. These results indicate that the modified membrane has great potential application in blood-contact fields such as hemodialysis and bio-artificial liver supports. Copyright (c) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.