Hemocompatibility of human whole blood on polymers with a phospholipid polar group and its mechanism

Abstract

The hemocompatibility of a polymer containing a phospholipid polar group, poly(2‐methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)‐co‐n‐butyl methacrylate(BMA)), with human whole blood was evaluated. When human whole blood without an anticoagulant was contacted with polymers, the blood cell adhesion and aggregation on the polymer without the MPC moiety was extensive, and considerable fibrin deposition was observed. This phenomenon was suppressed with an increase in the polymer MPC composition. Thus, the MPC moiety in the copolymer plays an important role in the nonthrombogenic behavior of the copolymer. These results were also confirmed by the whole blood coagulation time on the polymer surface which was determined by Lee‐White method. The adsorption of phospholipids and proteins from human plasma on poly(MPC‐co‐BMA) was investigated to clarify the mechanism of the nonthrombogenicity observed with the polymer. The amount of phospholipids was increased; whereas, adsorbed proteins were decreased with an increase in the MPC composition. From these results, we concluded that the phospholipids adsorbed on poly(MPC‐co‐BMA) play the most important role in the nonthrombogenicity of the MPC copolymer. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.