Novel Antibacterial Coating Could Reduce Suture Infections

A newly developed antibacterial coating for surgical sutures is almost 1,000 times more effective than the most widely used commercial coating.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts (UMass; Amherst, USA) have developed a new bactericidal surgical suture coating based on poly[(aminoethyl methacrylate)-co-(butyl methacrylate)] (PAMBM), an amphiphilic polymer inspired by antimicrobial peptides. PAMBM was evaluated in a variety of polymer blends using the Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) method and showed excellent antimicrobial activity at a low concentration (0.5 wt %), using a similar antimicrobial coating formula to commercial Vicryl (polyglactin 910) Plus sutures, a product of Ethicon (Somerville, NJ, USA). Disk samples of the coating material containing PAMBM effectively killed bacteria (98% reduction at 0.75 wt %).

Further assays of the same disk samples showed an increasing zone of inhibition with increasing concentration of PAMBM. Finally, the PAMBM-containing coating was applied to sutures, and the morphology of the coating surface was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), along with Vicryl and uncoated sutures. The PAMBM-containing sutures killed bacteria more effectively (3 log₁₀ reduction at 2.4 wt %) than Vicryl Plus sutures (0.5 log₁₀ reduction). The study was published on August 21, 2012, in Langmuir.

“Infection at the site of surgical incisions is one of the most common postsurgical complications that keep patients hospitalized longer and boost hospital bills,” said lead author Prof. Gregory Tew, PhD, of the department of polymer science & engineering. “As bacterial resistance to current agents continues to increase and with resistance to triclosan now documented, the discovery of new antimicrobial agents that remain active in biomedical device coatings is essential.”

The most common antibiotic coating contains triclosan, but its use in many consumer products over the years has led to the emergence of strains of bacteria that shrug off its effects. Triclosan also can be absorbed into the body, raising concerns about possible adverse health effects. Another downside to triclosan is that it slows the growth of bacteria, but does not actually kill those already present.

Related Links:
University of Massachusetts
Ethicon