Incorporation of quercetin into hollow fiber membranes enhances antioxidant properties for reactive oxygen species (ROS) suppression in hemodialysis

Abstract

Hemodialysis (HD) is the primary therapy for end-stage kidney disease, yet the oxidative stress (OS) generated during treatment continues to limit long-term outcomes. To address this issue, quercetin (QE), a natural polyphenol with strong antioxidant properties, was incorporated into hollow fiber (HF) membranes (0.25-1.0 wt%) via phase inversion. QE incorporation was supported by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Fabricated HF membranes were evaluated for HD performance, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging and antioxidant activity, and biocompatibility. Among the tested membranes, QE-0.5 (0.5 wt% QE) showed the most favorable features, including a larger mean pore size (9.07 nm), reduced wall thickness (similar to 40 mu m), and high pure water permeability (PWP, 232.6 mL/m(2).h.mmHg). QE-0.5 also achieved high small molecular weight (small MW) uremic toxins and lysozyme clearance (136,211 mg/m(2)for urea, 8210 mg/m(2)for creatinine, and 3720 mg/m(2)for lysozyme) while maintaining safe bovine serum albumin (BSA) retention (similar to 99%). QE-0.5 membrane exhibited strong antioxidant activity, achieving nearly 100% for radical cations (2,2 '-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt, ABTS center dot(+)) scavenging, along with 54.2% for superoxide anion radicals (O-2 center dot(-)), 36.8% for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and 65% for hydroxyl radicals (center dot OH) scavenging, while maintaining good stability after 4 h. Overall, incorporating 0.5 wt% QE provides a promising route to multifunctional HD membranes that couple efficient solute clearance with oxidative-stress mitigation.