Changes in electrical charge of leukocyte surface membranes during hemodialysis. Possible role in transient leukopenia.

Change in the electrical charge of leukocyte surface membranes during hemodialysis (HD) using a cellulose membrane was studied by examining adsorbability of leukocytes taken from patients undergoing HD to cation and anion exchange resins. Leukocytes of HD patients were well adsorbed to both anion and cation exchange resins, whereas normal leukocytes were only minimally adsorbed to a cation exchange resin, suggesting that the surface membranes of normal leukocytes were charged electronegatively. Adsorbability to anion exchange resin by patients' leukocytes taken from the venous limb of the HD circuit line 15 minutes after starting HD was significantly decreased when using a cellulosic membrane. This suggests that the decrease in electronegative leukocyte surface membrane charge, which may facilitate the attachment of leukocytes to electronegatively charged endothelial cell membranes, is the factor leading to leukopenia. Adsorbability to anion exchange resin by normal leukocytes incubated with plasma taken from HD patients 10 to 60 minutes after starting HD was increased, suggesting an increase in electronegatively charged substances in patients' plasma; these recombine with leukocyte surface membranes thereby increasing the electronegative charges of the leukocyte surface membranes and enabling subsequent release of leukocytes from endothelial cells, consistent with the transient nature of the leukopenia.