Surface activation of medical grade polyurethane for the covalent immobilization of an anti-adhesive biopolymeric coating

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. B, Materials for biology and medicine Vol. 9; no. 17; pp. 375 - 3715
• Main Authors: Matinha-Cardoso, Jorge, Mota, Rita, Gomes, Luciana C, Gomes, Marisa, Mergulhão, Filipe J, Tamagnini, Paula, Martins, M. Cristina L, Costa, Fabíola
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Royal Society of Chemistry 05.05.2021
• Subjects: Antibiotics; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Argon; Bacteria; Biodegradation; Biofilms; Coatings; Contact angle; E coli; Etiology; Immobilization; Industrial applications; Infections; Medical equipment; Natural polymers; Nitrogen plasma; Nosocomial infections; Ozone; Photomicrographs; Polymer coatings; Polymers; Polyurethane; Polyurethane resins; Public health; Substrates; Surface activation; Urinary tract; Urogenital system
• ISSN: 2050-750X; 2050-7518
• DOI: 10.1039/d1tb00278c

Hospital-acquired infections are still a major concern worldwide, being frequently related to bacterial biofilm formation on medical devices, and thus difficult to eradicate with conventional antimicrobial treatments. Therefore, infection-preventive solutions based on natural polymers are being investigated. Recently, a marine cyanobacterium-derived polymeric coating (CyanoCoating) has demonstrated great anti-adhesive potential when immobilized onto gold model substrates. In this work, we took this technology a step closer to an industrial application by covalently immobilizing CyanoCoating onto medical grade polyurethane (PU). This immobilization was developed through the introduction of linkable moieties onto a PU inert surface using different pre-treatments. Besides the application of the polydopamine (pDA) linker layer, other processes frequently found in industrial settings, such as atmospheric plasma (using O 2 or N 2 as reactive gases) and ozone surface activations, were evaluated. From all the pre-treatments tested, the ozone activation was the most promising since the obtained coating not only revealed a homogeneous distribution, but also significantly reduced the adhesion of two relevant etiological bacteria in static conditions (the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative Escherichia coli ). Moreover, it also impaired E. coli biofilm formation under simulated urinary tract dynamic conditions, reinforcing the potential of CyanoCoating as an antibiotic-free alternative to mitigate medical device-associated infections, particularly in the urinary tract. Evaluation of the surface activation of medical grade polyurethane through different processes towards the covalent immobilization of an anti-adhesive biopolymeric coating.