A nonthrombogenic gas-permeable membrane composed of a phospholipid polymer skin film adhered to a polyethylene porous membrane.

Polymer membranes are widely used in biomedical applications such as hemodialysis, membrane oxygenator, etc. When the membranes come in contact with blood or body fluids, protein adsorption and cell adhesion occur rapidly. Nonspecific protein adsorption and cell adhesion on the membranes induce not only various bio-rejections but also a decrease in their performance. We hypothesized that a blood compatible gas-permeable membrane could be prepared from polyethylene (PE) porous membranes modified with phospholipid polymers. In this study, poly[(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (MPC)-co-dodecyl methacrylate] (PMD) skin film adhered to a PE porous membrane (PMD/PE porous membrane) was prepared. Elution of PMD was not detected meaning that the PMD film did not detach from the PE porous membrane even after soaking in water for more than 6 months. The permeation coefficient of oxygen gas through the PE membrane with the adhered PMD containing more than 0.20 mole fraction of the MPC unit, was the same as that of the original PE porous membrane. The PMD surface effectively reduced biofouling. We concluded that the PMD/PE porous membrane is useful as a novel membrane oxygenator due to its excellent gas-permeability and blood compatibility.