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pH-Responsive antibacterial metal-phenolic network coating on hernia meshes
Rui Ding1, Pandi Peng1, Jingjing Huo1
1Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics (FSCFE), Xi'an Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE), Xi'an Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering (IBME), Ningbo Institute, Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), Xi'an, 710072, China. iampli@nwpu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Polypropylene (PP) mesh is widely used in hernioplasty, but it is prone to contamination by pathogenic bacteria. Here, we present an infection microenvironment-responsive metal-phenolic network (MPN) coating, which is made up of Cu2+ and tannic acid (TA) (referred to as CT coating), and is fabricated on PP meshes by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. The CT coating provided a robust protection for the PP mesh from pathogenic bacterial infection in a pH-responsive manner due to the pH-responsive disassembly kinetics of MPN complexes. Moreover, the PP meshes with ten CT coating cycles (PP-CT(10)) exhibited excellent stability in a physiological environment, with the killing ratio against "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at pH 5.5 exceeding 99% even after 28 days of PBS (pH 7.4) immersion. In addition, the PP-CT(10) exhibited excellent in vivo anti-infective ability in a rodent subcutaneous implant MRSA infection model, and the results of histological and immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that the reduced bacterial number alleviated the inflammatory response at implant sites. This study revealed that MPN coating is a promising strategy, which could provide a self-defensive ability for various implants to combat post-surgical infections in a pH-responsive manner.
Insights
A new metal-phenolic network coating protects polypropylene mesh implants from bacterial infections. This pH-responsive coating effectively eliminates MRSA and reduces inflammation, offering a promising strategy for preventing surgical site infections.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Infectious Disease Research
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Polypropylene (PP) mesh is crucial for hernioplasty but susceptible to bacterial contamination.
- Developing effective strategies to prevent infections associated with surgical implants is a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create an infection microenvironment-responsive coating for PP mesh.
- To evaluate the anti-infective properties and stability of the developed coating against pathogenic bacteria, including MRSA.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a copper (Cu 2+) and tannic acid (TA) based metal-phenolic network (MPN) coating (CT coating) on PP mesh using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly.
- Assessment of the coating's pH-responsive disassembly kinetics and stability in a physiological environment (PBS, pH 7.4).
- Evaluation of the killing efficacy against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and in vivo anti-infective performance in a rodent subcutaneous implant model.
Main Results:
- The CT coating demonstrated robust, pH-responsive protection against bacterial infection.
- PP meshes with ten CT coating cycles (PP-CT(10)) showed >99% MRSA killing ratio at pH 5.5, maintaining stability after 28 days in PBS (pH 7.4).
- In vivo studies confirmed excellent anti-infective ability, with reduced bacterial load alleviating inflammatory responses at implant sites.
Conclusions:
- Metal-phenolic network (MPN) coatings offer a promising strategy for imparting self-defensive capabilities to implants.
- This pH-responsive coating effectively combats post-surgical infections, particularly those caused by challenging pathogens like MRSA.
- The developed coating strategy holds potential for enhancing the safety and efficacy of various medical implants.
