beta 2-Microglobulin and granulocyte elastase.

Plasma beta 2-M was measured by radioimmunoassay in samples obtained before and after dialysis with seven different dialysers, tested according to the protocol of the International Cooperative Biocompatibility Study (ICBS). Plasma beta 2-M was corrected for contraction of its distribution volume, which was assumed to be equal to the extracellular fluid volume. The uncorrected plasma beta 2-M concentration increased with all conventional dialysers, including the G10-3N, (cuprammonium cellulose plate), G120 M (cuprammonium cellulose hollow fibre), CD 4000 (cellulose acetate) and T 150 (polymethylmethacrylate). However, no significant differences were found between the predialysis and the corrected postdialysis plasma beta 2-M concentrations with these conventional dialysers, and thus no evidence of net generation or release of beta 2-M was found in this study. With high-permeability membranes, the corrected postdialysis beta 2-M values were decreased by 27.1% with the Duo-Flux Artificial Kidney, 53.5% with F 60, and 34.6% with Filtral, indicating that dialysers with these membranes eliminate plasma beta 2-M to a certain extent. The complex of granulocyte elastase with alpha 1-antiproteinase in plasma was also measured in samples from the arterial blood line collected before, and after 30 and 120 min of dialysis with each of the seven dialysers in this study. All dialysers elicited an increase in the mean plasma elastase concentrations which was more than twice as high with cuprammonium cellulose plate than with all of the others. The change of elastase at 120 min of dialysis varied considerably with each dialyser and was statistically significant with all except CD 4000, F 60, and Filtral.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)