Aminomalononitrile-Assisted Multifunctional Antibacterial Coatings

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Infectious Disease Prevention

Background:

• Medical device-associated infections pose a significant clinical challenge.
• Existing coatings often lack comprehensive antifouling and antimicrobial functionalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize multifunctional coatings with combined antifouling and antimicrobial properties for biomedical devices.
• To evaluate the efficacy of these coatings against bacterial attachment and viability.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of coatings using aminomalononitrile (AMN) for one-step polymer incorporation.
• Incorporation of zwitterionic polymers (antifouling) and quaternary ammonium polymers (antimicrobial).
• Characterization via water contact angle, XPS, profilometry, SEM, and in vitro biological assays (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, L929 fibroblasts).

Main Results:

• Zwitterionic polymers reduced bacterial attachment but did not affect bacteria in suspension.
• Quaternary ammonium polymers exhibited contact killing but allowed significant bacterial attachment.
• Combined zwitterionic and quaternary ammonium coatings significantly reduced live bacteria on surfaces and in suspension.

Conclusions:

• Multifunctional AMN-assisted coatings effectively integrate antifouling and antimicrobial properties.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for enhancing the safety and performance of biomedical devices.
• The developed coatings show potential for broad application in preventing medical device-associated infections.