Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1686 Acta Biomaterialia 2010 6 Pages PDF
Abstract

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) coatings are known to reduce microbial adhesion in terms of numbers and binding strength. However, bacterial adhesion remains of the order of 104 cm−2. It is unknown whether this density of bacteria will eventually grow into a biofilm. This study investigates the kinetics of staphylococcal biofilm formation on a commercially produced, robust, cross-linked PEG-based polymer coating (OptiChem®) in vitro and in vivo. OptiChem® inhibits biofilm formation in vitro, and although adsorption of plasma proteins encourages biofilm formation, microbial growth kinetics are still strongly delayed compared to uncoated glass. In vivo, OptiChem®-coated and bare silicone rubber samples were inserted into an infected murine subcutaneous pocket model. In contrast to bare silicone rubber, OptiChem® samples did not become colonized upon reimplantation despite the fact that surrounding tissues were always culture-positive. We conclude that the commercial OptiChem® coating considerably slows down bacterial biofilm formation both in vitro and in vivo, making it an attractive candidate for biomaterials implant coating.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Chemical Engineering Bioengineering
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