UNAIR NEWS – Five Biomedical Engineering students of Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga, Evlyn Anggraini Santoso, Fulky A’yunni, Fathania Nabilla, Novita Putri Rahayu, and Adita Wardani Rahmania have made an innovation through their research about dialyzer membranes (membranes for dialysis / Hemodialysis) with antibacterial properties.
Hemodialysis therapy (HD) is the most selected treatment for patients with chronic renal failure. Based on a survey of various centers of hemodialysis , in Indonesia there are 30.7% of patients per million inhabitants who require hemodialysis. Routine vascular accessed during every HD procedure can lead to bacteriological conditions and infections that can degrade the patient’s quality of life and bring death. Besides vascular access, bacterial infections can result from dialysis fluid, reused dialyzer, water treatment at dialysis centers and dialysis machines.
The dialyzer membranes used so far have no antibacterial properties when there are many external factors from the process of HD treatment which can cause infection, so the albumin decreases. The percentage of infection occurring within a month by 15%, 1-12 months 44%, and above 1 year 41%. The occurrence of this infection is caused by gram-positive pathogens of 97% of cases, mainly by Staphylococcus aureus (60%) and Staphylococcus epidermis (22%).
Therefore, under the guidance of Dr. Prihartini Widiyanti, drg., M.Kes., The student is trying to make a dialyzer membranes for hemodialysis therapy that has antibacterial properties, so as to improve the quality of life of patients with kidney failure.
“We tried to make a membranes dialyzer made of polyurethane , citric acid and polyethersulfon to later added chitosan to elicit its antibacterial properties. Chitosan is a natural ingredient known to have high antibacterial properties, is easy to find, and the price is not too expensive, “said Evlyn Anggraini Santoso, group leader.
Membranes dialyzer which has been printed in two forms flat (flat) and hollow fiber is then dipped in a solution of chitosan and stored for 24 hours at 4 ° C. After it is washed using PBS solution and sterilization is done with soaked in glutaraldehyde for 30 minutes.
Research is packaged in the title “biocomposite Innovative Based Citric Acid-polyurethane-Chitosan as a candidate Membraness Dialyzer Antibacterials” managed to attract the attention of the Directorate of Higher Education (Higher Education) Kemenristek Higher Education, which then gives the fund the development of research through the Student Creativity Program Research Eksakta (PKM-PE) .
The results of this study have been tested with antibacterial tests using bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and showed a clear zone around the disc diameter of about 6.946 to 11.086 mm. This indicates that the sample of the dialyzer membranes has antibacterial properties. The antibacterial activity of chitosan derived from amine functional group that can form a bond with the cell walls of bacteria and bacteria lysis.
FTIR test results indicate the discovery of the functional groups of chitosan NH / OH (amine and hydroxyl) which constituent chitosan. The results of measurements have been carried out using a membranes pore SEM test and obtained 0.944 μm pore size, these results are in accordance with the pore size of the membranes filtration.
In addition, hemolysis tests have been done to determine the material properties when contacted directly with blood. If the percentage of hemolysis is below 5% then the sample is considered safe for contact with blood. From the results of the test the five samples showed percentage of hemolysis less than 5% so safe to use for hemodialysis process . (*)
Editor: Bambang Bes
