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Liquid-Infused Silicone As a Biofouling-Free Medical Material
Noah MacCallum1, Caitlin Howell2, Philseok Kim3
1Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, ‡School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and §Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.
ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering
|January 13, 2021
Summary
New slippery, oil-infused polymers prevent bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on medical devices. This antibiotic-free approach offers a promising strategy for infection prevention and combating drug-resistant organisms.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Infectious Disease Prevention
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Antibiotic resistance necessitates novel infection prevention strategies.
- Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on medical devices are major challenges.
- Current methods often rely on antibiotics, contributing to resistance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop non-antibiotic, non-fouling medical materials.
- To investigate lubricant-infused slippery polymers for preventing bacterial adhesion.
- To demonstrate the efficacy of oil-infused polydimethylsiloxane (iPDMS) against biofilm formation.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of oil-infused polydimethylsiloxane (iPDMS) on silicone substrates.
- Testing bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation using flow cultures of *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* in iPDMS and PDMS tubing.
- Application of iPDMS as a coating on polyurethane catheters and evaluation against *Escherichia coli* and *Staphylococcus epidermidis*.
Main Results:
- iPDMS surfaces exhibited exceptionally low bacterial adhesion and prevented biofilm formation.
- A significant reduction (over an order of magnitude) in biofilm formation was observed on iPDMS tubing.
- iPDMS-coated catheters showed a substantial decrease in *E. coli* and *S. epidermidis* biofilm formation.
Conclusions:
- Lubricant-infused slippery polymers (iPDMS) represent a viable, antibiotic-free strategy for medical device coatings.
- This technology effectively prevents bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, reducing infection risk.
- iPDMS is compatible with sterilization methods and can be applied to various medical materials.
