Coating Medical Implants with Antibiotics

A penicillin-coated version of a key polymer biomaterial can protect polymer-based medical implants from bacterial infections.

Researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, USA) have developed a new way to modify expanded polytetrafluorethylene (ePTFE) so that penicillin (and potentially other antibiotics) could adhere to its surface and remain highly effective. The modified ePTFE has surface projections to which the penicillin can adhere. The antibiotic, in turn, surrounds the bacteria and kills it. In laboratory experiments, the researchers have demonstrated that the penicillin-coated surfaces showed highly effective antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium responsible for many serious nosocomial infections. The study was published in the February 2007 edition of the journal Biomacromolecules.

"This approach may serve as a general surface modification process for the development of polymeric surfaces with anti-microbial properties,” said lead author Marek W. Urban, Ph.D., professor of polymer science. "We want to develop coatings that can be applied to any surfaces to kill bacteria. This is the first step. The trick is to make the antibiotic remain active after it is attached.”

ePTFE, a material similar to teflon, is used in medical procedures ranging from vascular grafting to plastic and reconstructive surgery, and in devices ranging from contact lenses to artificial hearts, as well as surgical devices and operating room equipment.




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