Unique antimicrobial effects of platelet-rich plasma and its efficacy as a prophylaxis to prevent implant-associated spinal infection

• Published in: Advanced healthcare materials Vol. 2; no. 9; p. 1277
• Main Authors: Li, Hongshuai, Hamza, Therwa, Tidwell, John E, Clovis, Nina, Li, Bingyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.09.2013
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Bone and Bones - microbiology; Bone and Bones - pathology; Gram-Negative Bacteria - drug effects; Gram-Negative Bacteria - isolation & purification; Gram-Positive Bacteria - drug effects; Gram-Positive Bacteria - isolation & purification; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Muscle, Skeletal - microbiology; Muscle, Skeletal - pathology; Platelet-Rich Plasma; Prostheses and Implants - microbiology; Rabbits; Spinal Diseases - microbiology; Spinal Diseases - surgery; antimicrobial; platelet-rich plasma; Staphylococcus aureus; implant infections
• ISSN: 2192-2659
• DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201200465

Platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) has attracted great attention and has been increasingly used for a variety of clinical applications including orthopedic surgeries, periodontal and oral surgeries, maxillofacial surgeries, plastic surgeries, and sports medicine. However, very little is known about the antimicrobial activities of PRP. PRP is found to have antimicrobial properties both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, the antimicrobial properties of PRP are bacterial-strain-specific and time-specific: PRP significantly (80-100 fold reduction in colony-forming units) inhibits the growth of methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Group A streptococcus, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae within the first few hours but it has no significant antimicrobial properties against E. coli and Pseudomonas. The antimicrobial properties of PRP also depend on the concentration of thrombin. In vivo, an implant-associated spinal infection rabbit model is established and used to evaluate the antimicrobial and wound-healing properties of PRP. Compared to the infection controls, PRP treatment results in significant reduction in bacterial colonies in bone samples at all time points studied (i.e. 1, 2, and 3 weeks) and significant increase in mineralized tissues (thereby better bone healing) at postoperative weeks 2 and 3. PRP therefore may be a useful adjunct strategy against postoperative implant-associated infections.