Percutaneous device-related infection has greatly shortened
the
service period of devices and seriously reduced the quality of life
of patients. Bacteria are one of the main pathogenic factors and cannot
be effectively and conveniently eradicated by traditional strategies
(e.g., construct coatings and introduce antibiotics), due to the complex
interface among medical devices, surrounding tissue, and colonizing
bacteria. Inspired by the periodontium, a universal bacteria-defensive
hydrogel adapting to the complicated interface is fabricated by introducing
phenol-amine chemistry to a polymeric matrix of N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide (HPC hydrogels). The HPC hydrogels with
excellent toughness (2.1 MJ/m3), adhesion (10.2 and 13.2
kPa for pigskin and Ti-6Al-4V alloy, respectively), and antibacterial
property (up to 99.9% for both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) contributed to the innate microbe
barrier via sealing the tissue–device interface and adaptive
defense to eradicate bacteria. Meanwhile, bacterial invasion experiments
demonstrate HPC hydrogels possess both a bacteria-defensive property
(up to 24 h) and cell-protecting function at the same time. Furthermore,
the biocompatibility of HPC hydrogels is verified in tests for in
vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo irritation. Hence, the designed HPC
hydrogels are considered as an emerging and universal candidate for
preventing bacterial infection and can protect the deep tissue around
a percutaneous device.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.