Anti-haemolytic test

In addition to biodegradabUity, another important prerequisite for an ideal biomaterial is cytotoxicity. This is also vital in biomedical applications. Two methods are generally employed for estimating the cytotoxicity of polymers, the direct contact method and the M lT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] method. However, an anti-haemolytic test can provide direct evidence of non-cytocompatibiUty and the power of the polymer to protect the cells from harmful free radicals. Red blood cells (RBC) are very susceptible to attack from free radicals which damage the cell membrane, permitting the leakage of haem protein which can then be estimated. This may be done easily under normal laboratory conditions and the method is briefly discussed below. 

What is the anti-haemolytic test and what information would you get from this test result ... 

Rgure 2.5 shows a better RBC haemolysis inhibition of a vegetable oil-based clay nanocomposite than the pristine system as tested by anti-haemolytic assay. 

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