Characterization of Albumin-Functionalized Silica Particles as Novel Solid Adsorbent of Bilirubin from Albumin-Containing Solution

Abstract

The liver is a fundamental organ that performs a wide range of life-important functions such as blood detoxification from endogenous substances. In particular, Albumin-bound toxins such as bilirubin are involved in the aetiology of many liver failure associated pathologies. For this reason, albumin based dialysis devices are crucial to provide a temporary solution for patients affected by liver diseases. Adsorption units play a key role in such apparatus for the dialysate regeneration. In this work was 3-Aminopropyl-functionalized silica gel (40-63µ??) micro-particles bounded with albumin were tested as a novel adsorbent material for the removal of bilirubin from an albumin-containing solution. Frist of all, the adsorption equilibrium of albumin on silica gel surface was experimentally investigated and a maximum adsorption capacity of 290.6 mg/g was estimated using Langmuir isotherm. Then, batch tests were performed to evaluate the equilibrium conditions for the uptake of bilirubin by the albumin functionalized silica particles. In this case the behaviour of the system was best represented by a linear isotherm with an angular coefficient of 1.91 µmol/g.