Construction of K+ responsive surface on SEBS to reduce the hemolysis of preserved erythrocytesElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c8ra08215d

Hemolysis of stored erythrocytes is a big obstacle for the development of new plasticizer-free polymer containers. Hemolysis is mainly caused by cell membrane oxidation and cation leaks from the intracellular fluid during storage. To construct an anti-hemolytic surface for a plasticizer-free polymer, we fabricated 2- O -α- d -glucopyranosyl- l -ascorbic acid (AA-2G)-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL)-crown ether micro/nanofibers on the surface of styrene- b -(ethylene- co -butylene)- b -styrene (SEBS). Our strategy is based on the sensitive response of the crown ether to leaked potassium, causing the release of AA-2G, the AA-2G can then remove the excess ROS, maintaining the Na/K-pump activity and the cell integrity. We demonstrated that the PCL-crown ether micro/nanofibers have been well prepared on the surface of SEBS; the micro/nanofibers provide a sensitive response to excess K + and trigger the rapid release of AA-2G. AA-2G then acts as an antioxidant to reduce the excess ROS and maintain the Na/K-pump activity to mitigate cation leaks, resulting in the reduced hemolysis of the preserved erythrocytes. Our work thus provides a novel method for the development of plasticizer-free polymers for the storage of erythrocytes, and has the potential to be used to fabricate long-term anti-hemolytic biomaterials for in vivo use. A K + responsive surface was constructed on a SEBS substrate to release anti-oxidants to reduce hemolysis of the preserved red blood cells.