Bilirubin and tryptophan adsorption in albumin-containing solutions: I. Equilibrium isotherms on activated carbon

Albumin-bound toxins are involved in the aetiology of many liver failure associated pathologies and specific processes aimed to their removal have been developed. In general, adsorption plays an important role in all of these processes. In this paper, two albumin-bound toxins (bilirubin and tryptophan) were considered and their adsorption equilibrium on activated carbon in albumin-containing solutions was investigated. The experimental results clearly show that the higher the albumin concentration in the liquid phase, the lower the toxin adsorbed amount. This effect was quantitatively analysed by means of a mathematical model that accounts for chemical and non-chemical interactions between albumin and toxin adsorption.