Mechanical-Enhanced and Durable Zwitterionic Hydrogel Coating for Inhibiting Coagulation and Reducing Bacterial...

Blood-contact medical devices are indispensable for clinical interventions, yet their susceptibility to thrombosis and bacterial infections poses substantial risks to treatment efficacy and patient well-being. This study introduces a polysulfobetaine/alginate-Cu^II (SAC) zwitterionic hydrogel coating on polyurethane (PU) surfaces. This approach retains the superhydrophilic and antifouling nature of pSBMA while conferring the antibacterial effects of copper ions. Meanwhile, the copper alginate network intertwines with the polysulfobetaine (pSBMA) network, enhancing its mechanical properties and overcoming inherent weaknesses, thereby improving coating durability. Compared to the substrate, the SAC hydrogel coating significantly reduces thrombus adhesion mass by approximately 81.5% during extracorporeal blood circulation and effectively prevents bacterial biofilm formation even in a high-concentration bacterial milieu over 30 days. Moreover, the results from an isolated blood circulation model in New Zealand white rabbits affirm the impressive anticoagulant efficacy of the SAC hydrogel coating. The findings suggest that this hydrogel coating and its application method hold promise as a solution for blood-contact material surface modification to address thrombosis and bacterial biofilm formation simultaneously.