Effect of the urine conditioning film on ureteral stent encrustation and characterization of its protein composition

The goal of this study was to characterize the protein composition of the c onditioning him deposited onto the surface of ureteral stents during in viv o implantation and to relate its presence to the precipitation of calcium c rystals. The protein pattern of the conditioning film of implanted nonencru sted and encrusted urological stents was assessed by SDS-PAGE and Western b lot of the desorbed species. The results obtained highlighted different ele ctrophoresis profiles between nonencrusted and encrusted stents. Western bl ot showed the ubiquitous presence of albumin, while Tamm-Horsfall Protein a nd al-microglobulin adsorption was limited to nonencrusted devices. By an i n vitro dynamic model in which, artificial urine was flowed through the lum en of control and retrieved nonencrusted stents, we demonstrated that the o rganic layer remarkably enhanced crystal precipitation and aggregation even ts on the surface. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.