Anti-adhesion and antiproliferative cellulose triacetate membrane for prevention of biomaterial-centred infections associated with Staphylococcus epidermidis

The initial step in preventing biomaterial-associated infections consists of preventing bacterial adhesion to the device surface. One possible approach is the design of antibiotic-releasing biomaterials. Cellulose triacetate (CTA) membranes with the antibiotic imipenem (IPM) entrapped (CTA-IPM) were prepared. The material was characterised in terms of surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy, surface free energy of interaction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Antibiotic release studies were also performed. In vitro adhesion of Staphylococcus epidermidis RP62A to CTA-IPM was investigated using a modified microtitre plate assay, and the antibacterial activity of the CTA-IPM membrane was assessed by a modified Kirby–Bauer test, which showed effective entrapment of the antibiotic as confirmed by XPS and hydrophilicity assays. Release studies showed that this drug–polymer conjugate serves as an adequate reservoir for sustained release of IPM over a period of 71 h at an effective bacteriostatic concentration. Moreover, bacterial adhesion tests showed a statistically significant decrease in the adhesion of S. epidermidis RP62A to CTA-IPM compared with its adhesion to CTA alone. The present innovative approach is capable of providing a membrane with anti-adhesive and antiproliferative properties, thus encouraging in vivo studies to provide a better simulation of the clinical situation.