| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1427923 | Materials Science and Engineering: C | 2016 | 10 Pages |
•The in situ photo-deposition of silver nano-coatings was used to develop silver treated PGLA sutures.•The silver particles deposited had good distribution and strong adhesion to the substrate.•The silver treated sutures demonstrated good biocompatibility and antibacterial capability.•The presence of silver promoted cell migration and proliferation in the wound area.
The resistance demonstrated by many microorganisms towards conventional antibiotics has stimulated the interest in alternative antimicrobial agents and in novel approaches for prevention of infections. Silver, a natural braod-spectrum antimicrobial agent known since antiquity, has been widely employed in biomedical field due to its recognized antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. In this work, antibacterial silver coatings were deposited on absorbable surgical sutures through the in situ photo-chemical deposition of silver clusters. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) were performed in order to investigate the presence and distribution of the silver clusters on the substrate. The amounts of silver deposited and released by the silver treated sutures were calculated through Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS), and the results were related to the biodegradation of the material. The microbiological properties and the potential cytotoxicity of the silver-treated sutures were investigated in relation with hydrolysis experiments, in order to determine the effect of the degradation on antibacterial properties and biocompatibility.
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