Vitamin E modified cellulose membrane.

There has been a demand for hemodialysis membranes of better biocompatibility, the use of which would reduce the incidence of complications in patients who have been under long hemodialysis treatment. We developed a surface modification technique consisting of forming efficiently a synthetic polymer layer on the inside of the regenerated cellulose hollow fiber without impairing fiber performance. Our newly developed membrane has excellent biocompatibility by modifying the inner surface and by immobilizing vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), which serves as an antioxidant, to the modified surface.