Glycomonoterpene-Functionalized Crack-Resistant Biocompatible Silk Fibroin Coatings for Biomedical Implants

Surface coatings for biomedical implants have been used to prevent premature failure of the implant due to bacterial biofilm formation and foreign body reaction. Delamination, cracking, crazing, etc. are frequent problems associated with coatings when implants are subjected to mechanical deformation either during surgical handling or during use. We demonstrate here a novel process that results in the formation of a coating that is stable under mechanical stresses in tensile, torsion, and bending modes. The coating process involves a combination of two conventional coating processes, namely, dip coating and electrospinning. Polydimethylsiloxane was selected as the substrate owing to its wide use in biomedical implants. Silk fibroin, a natural biocompatible protein polymer obtained from the Bombyx mori silkworm, was used for demonstrating the process of coating. The coating was also further functionalized using a green biomolecule , glycomonoterpene prepared using citronellal and glucose. These functional compounds are being touted as the next-generation antibiofilm molecules on account of quorum sensing inhibitory activity. We have demonstrated that the quorum-quenching activity of the biomolecule is retained during the processing steps and that the coatings exhibited an excellent antibiofilm activity against common infection-causing bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis. These silk fibroin-glycomonoterpene coatings can be used for implants in biomedical applications such as breast implants and catheter tubings.