Development of membranes for the cultivation of kidney epithelial cells

The development of biohybrid organs (BHO) will benefit from improved membranes regarding transport and cell contacting properties. Here we describe in a first study the development and testing of membranes made of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polysulfone (PSU) for the immobilisation of kidney epithelial cells. Comparative investigations on overall polymer toxicity tested with 3T3 fibroblasts, and morphology and proliferation of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells cultured on the membranes could show that these materials have comparable cell contacting properties like Millicell(TM) membranes. Since PAN and PSU have superior membrane forming properties with regard to membrane geometry, i.e. for the preparation of hollow fibres, and porosity, i.e. for immune isolation, both materials or modifications thereof seem to be suitable for the application in BHO such as biohybrid kidney. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.