Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2025

Biosensor for Detection of Antibiotic Resistant Staphylococcus Bacteria
Published on: May 8, 2013
Antibacterial Coatings of Poly(ethylenimine)/Poly(l-lactide)-Grafted Hyaluronic Acid Multilayers
Luise Wirth1,2, Birgit Urban1, Eva Bittrich1
1Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., 01069 Dresden, Germany.
Abstract:
The infestation of tissue after implantation is a major problem as a bacterial biofilm can form on the surface of the implants, leading to implant-associated infections (IAIs). One approach to prevent such IAI is to apply antibacterial coatings consisting of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) and bacteriophages (PHAGs). PEM were constructed by alternately adsorbing oppositely charged polyelectrolytes on a substrate according to the layer-by-layer concept. Poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) was used as the cationic polyelectrolyte, and a graft polymer of hyaluronic acid and poly(l-lactide) (DAC) was used as the anionic polyelectrolyte. Comparing PEM-5 (PEI/DAC/PEI/DAC/PEI) and PEM-6 (PEI/DAC/PEI/DAC/PEI/DAC), a higher amount of PHAG was bound to PEM-5 with cationic surface charge, which was detected by atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The binding of PHAG to the PEM is suggested to be based on electrostatic interactions between the anionic capsid proteins of PHAG and the outermost PEM surface. For antibacterial tests, PEM-5 and PEM-6 each with and without contact to PHAG were deposited at agar plates and infected with bacteria. For the coatings consisting of PEM and PHAG, a significant eradicative effect toward bacteria was obtained, while the pure PEM coatings showed no eradication, which proves the dominant antibacterial contribution originated by PHAG.
Related Concept Videos
Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages
Surface Membrane Barriers
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages
Viral Replication: Lytic Cycle
Biofilms
Biological Methods for Microbial Control

