Background. Morphological characterization of hemodialysis membranes is necessary to improve pore design. Aim. To delineate membrane pore structure of a high flux filter, Polyflux 210H. Methods. We used a Joel JSM-6010LV scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a SU6600 Hitachi field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) to characterize the pore and fiber morphology. The maximal diameters of selected uremic toxins were calculated using the macromolecular modeling Crystallographic Object-Oriented Toolkit (COOT) software. Results. The mean pore densities on the outermost and innermost surfaces of the membrane were 36.81% and 5.45%, respectively. The membrane exhibited a tortuous structure with poor connection between the inner and outer pores. The aperture's width in the inner surface ranged between 34 and 45 nm, which is 8.76–11.60 times larger than the estimated maximum diameter of β2-microglobulin (3.88 nm). Conclusion. The results suggest that the diameter size of inner pore apertures is not a limiting factor to middle molecules clearance, the extremely diminished density is. Increasing inner pore density and improving channel structure are strategies to improve clearance of middle molecules.

IntroductionThe flux of uremic toxin middle molecules through currently used hemodialysis membranes is suboptimal, mainly because of the membranes’ pore architecture.AimIdentifying the modifiable sieving parameters that can be improved by nanotechnology to enhance fluxes of uremic toxins across the walls of dialyzers’ capillaries.MethodsWe determined the maximal dimensions of endothelin, cystatin C, and interleukin – 6 using the macromolecular modeling software, COOT. We also applied the expanded Nernst-Plank equation to calculate the changes in the overall flux as a function of increased electro-migration and pH of the respective molecules.ResultsIn a high flux hemodialyzer, the effective diffusivities of endothelin, cystatin C, and interleukin – 6 are 15.00 x 10-10 cm2/s, 7.7 x 10-10 cm2/s, and 5.4 x 10-10 cm2/s, respectively, through the capillaries’ walls. In a nanofabricated membrane, the effective diffusivities of endothelin, cystatin C, and interleukin – 6 are 13.87 x 10-7 cm2/s, 5.73 x 10-7 cm2/s, and 3.45 x 10-7 cm2/s, respectively, through a nanofabricated membrane. Theoretical modeling showed that a 96% reduction in the membrane's thickness and the application of an electric potential of 10 mV across the membrane could enhance the flux of endothelin, cystatin C, and interleukin - 6 by a factor of 25. A ΔpH of 0.07 altered the fluxes minimally.ConclusionsNanofabricated hemodialysis membranes with a reduced thickness and an applied electric potential can enhance the effective diffusivity and electro-migration flux of the respective uremic toxins by 3 orders of magnitude as compared to those passing through the high flux hemodialyzer.