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Mussel-Inspired Clickable Antibacterial Peptide Coating on Ureteral Stents for Encrustation Prevention
Qin Yao1, Jinyi Zhang2, Guoqing Pan2
1Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, 438 Jiefang Road, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212001, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Long-term indwelling catheters or stents often cause complications like infection, encrustation, hematuria, pain, and so on. The source of these problems is bacteria, which can form biofilms on the stents to reduce antibiotic sensitivity and produce urease to form encrustation by increasing the urine pH. Urinary tract infection (UTI) can aggravate the body damage and even seriously endanger lives, and the encrustation will block the stents, which can cause hydronephrosis and renal function damage. Therefore, the prevention of UTI and encrustation represents a great challenge in clinical ureteral stent uses. In this work, a clickable mussel-inspired peptide and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) were used to functionalize the commercial stents' surfaces to inhibit long-term infection and encrustation caused by bacteria. Copper (Cu) ions were used to coordinate the mussel-inspired peptide to improve the stability. The AMP with an azido group was clicked to the mussel-inspired Cu-coordinated peptide coating through click chemistry. The bio-inspired antibacterial coating was constructed with excellent stability, bactericidal properties, and improved biological compatibility. In in vitro and in vivo experiments, it was further found that the coating showed bactericidal and encrustation reduction abilities. This study thus developed an effective, safe, and stable AMP coating on urinary stents/catheters capable of long-term antibacterial and encrustation inhibition.
Insights
Researchers developed a stable, bio-inspired coating for urinary stents using mussel-inspired and antimicrobial peptides. This coating effectively inhibits bacterial infection and encrustation, improving long-term indwelling catheter safety and function.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Infectious Diseases
- Urology
Background:
- Long-term urinary stents are prone to bacterial infection and encrustation, leading to serious complications like urinary tract infections (UTIs), hydronephrosis, and renal damage.
- Bacterial biofilms on stents reduce antibiotic efficacy and urease production contributes to encrustation by increasing urine pH.
- Preventing UTIs and encrustation is crucial for safe and effective long-term urinary catheter use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, stable coating for urinary stents to inhibit bacterial infection and encrustation.
- To functionalize commercial stents with mussel-inspired and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) using click chemistry.
- To evaluate the antibacterial and anti-encrustation efficacy of the developed coating in vitro and in vivo.
Main Methods:
- Commercial urinary stents were functionalized with a clickable mussel-inspired peptide and an azide-functionalized antimicrobial peptide (AMP).
- Copper (Cu) ions were used to coordinate the mussel-inspired peptide, enhancing coating stability.
- Click chemistry was employed to attach the AMP to the peptide-coated surface.
- In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to assess the coating's stability, bactericidal properties, biological compatibility, and anti-encrustation effects.
Main Results:
- A stable, bio-inspired coating with excellent bactericidal properties and improved biological compatibility was successfully constructed on urinary stents.
- The functionalized stents demonstrated significant inhibition of bacterial growth and biofilm formation.
- The coating effectively reduced stent encrustation in both in vitro and in vivo models.
- No adverse effects or toxicity were observed, indicating good biocompatibility.
Conclusions:
- A novel, stable antimicrobial peptide (AMP) coating was developed for urinary stents using mussel-inspired peptides and click chemistry.
- This bio-inspired coating provides effective long-term inhibition of bacterial infection and encrustation.
- The developed coating offers a promising strategy for improving the safety and efficacy of indwelling urinary catheters.
