Biocompatibility of heparin-grafted hemodialysis membranes: impact on monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 circulating level and oxidative status.

This prospective observational study aimed at evaluating efficacy and biocompatibility performances of the new heparin-coated Evodial dialyzers with/without systemic heparin reduction. After a 4-week wash-out period with reference polysulfone F70S dialyzers, 6 hemodialysis patients were sequentially dialyzed with Evodial, F70S, and Evodial dialyzers using 30% heparin reduction, each period of treatment was 4 weeks. Removal rates (RR) (urea, creatinine, and β2-microglobulin), dialysis dose, and instantaneous clearances (urea and creatinine) were measured as well as inflammatory (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and oxidative stress (OS) (superoxide anion, homocysteine, and isoprostanes) parameters at the end of each study period. Patients treated with Evodial or F70S dialyzers for 4 weeks presented comparable dialysis efficacy parameters including urea and creatinine RR, dialysis dose and instantaneous clearances. By contrast, a significantly lower but reasonably good β2-microglobulin RR was achieved with Evodial dialyzers. Regarding biocompatibility, no significant difference was observed with inflammation and OS except for postdialysis monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 which significantly decreased with Evodial dialyzers. Thirty percent heparinization reduction with Evodial dialyzers did not induce any change in inflammation but led to an improvement in OS as demonstrated by a decrease in postdialysis superoxide production and predialysis homocysteine and isoprostane. This bioactive dialyzer together with heparin dose reduction represents a good trade-off between efficacy and biocompatibility performance (improvement in OS with a weak decrease in efficacy) and its use is encouraging for hemodialysis patients not only in reducing OS but also in improving patient comorbid conditions due to lesser heparin side effects.