title: Complement activation by polymers carrying hydroxyl groups.
abstract: Hydrogels of polymers carrying surface hydroxyl groups strongly activate the complement system through the alternative pathway, although it has also been reported that solutions of polymers do not. To address these curious, inconsistent results, we examined the effect of polymer states, either immobilized on a surface or soluble in serum, on the complement activation using a surface plasmon resonance apparatus and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We clearly showed that dextran- and poly(vinyl alcohol)-immobilized surfaces strongly activated the complement system but that soluble polymers could not, even when the amounts of the soluble polymers added to serum were 4-2000 times higher than those on the polymer-immobilized surfaces.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawagoe
authors.forename: Mitsuaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toda
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwata
mesh_terms: D003167:Complement Activation; D006801:Humans; D006878:Hydroxides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D044967:Serum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance
chemical_list: D006878:Hydroxides; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D011108:Polymers