quantification of adsorption across membrane depth.Image reconstruction and quantitative layer analysis were carried out using UFO and ImageJ software to evaluate spatial variations in adsorption intensity.The adsorption of HSA was evaluated across the membrane depth, with and without IS, by examining the top, middle, and bottom regions of interest (ROIs), each containing 11 membrane layers.Results: The presence of IS produced a distinctly irregular adsorption profile characterized by multiple peaks and valleys throughout the membrane depth.Adsorption increased sharply in the upper layers (up to 600,000 2 at layer index 7), declined through the middle region, and reappeared intermittently in deeper layers.These fluctuations indicate transient and heterogeneous binding between HSA and the PES surface, likely arising from competing hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions associated with the indole and sulfate groups of IS.Conclusion: Indoxyl sulfate induces irregular, nonuniform HSA adsorption on PES hemodialysis membranes.A clearer understanding of these toxin-protein-membrane interactions can support the design of more biocompatible membranes with improved capacity to reduce IS accumulation during dialysis.I have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.I did not use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.
Dmytruk et al. (Wed,) studied this question.