Antibacterial Surgical Sutures Developed Using Electrostatic Yarn Wrapping Technology.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Surgical sutures often face limitations, driving research into functional material applications.
• Developing advanced materials to overcome existing surgical suture shortcomings is a growing area of interest.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance absorbable collagen surgical sutures with antibacterial properties and improved biocompatibility.
• To investigate the efficacy of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC)/PVP/zinc acetate nanofibers as a coating for surgical sutures.

Main Methods:

• Coating absorbable collagen sutures with HPC/PVP/zinc acetate nanofibers using electrostatic yarn winding.
• Utilizing an electrostatic yarn spinning machine with adjustable voltage to form nanofibers.
• Evaluating the antibacterial activity against *E. coli* and *S. aureus* and assessing cytotoxicity and cell adhesion.

Main Results:

• The nanofiber membrane exhibited uniform structure, even with zinc acetate inclusion.
• Zinc acetate demonstrated significant antibacterial efficacy, eliminating 99.9% of *E. coli* and *S. aureus*.
• HPC/PVP/Zn nanofiber membranes showed no toxicity and promoted cell adhesion, indicating a favorable cellular environment.

Conclusions:

• Electrostatic yarn wrapping effectively imparts antibacterial properties to surgical sutures.
• The nanofiber-coated sutures provide an antibacterial effect, reduce inflammation, and support cell growth.
• This technology offers enhanced functionality and a broader application range for surgical sutures.