Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are nosocomial infections causing more than one million hospital cases annually. The progress of CAUTIs leads to severe health complications. Infections result in blockage of the medical device due to biofilm formation, which necessitates the replacement of the device. The objective of this study is to improve urological biomaterials to minimize microbial growth and reduce the incidence of CAUTIs. Challenges from mixed biofilm are crucial and need to be addressed in the development of new coating materials. Herein, an investigation highlighted the reduction of mixed biofilm overgrowth and attachment tendency on poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (p-HEMA) surface by loading the hydrogel with rifampicin (RIF), cefixime trihydrate (CFX), and combined ratios of RIF and CFX. Mixed biofilm-formation ability in (3:1) RIF: CFX-loading p-HEMA (F6) surface showed best tendency to resist form biofilm. Persistent antimicrobial activity increased in p-HEMA loaded with combined ratios of RIF and CFX surface compared to p-HEMA alone, antimicrobial activity lasted for 8 days. All fabricated films exhibited %cell viability higher than 75% on HEK 293 cells. The addition of RIF and CFX may improve the duration of urological device employment before replacement.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are nosocomial infections, causing more than one million cases per year. CAUTIs cause serious health issues; in addition, the cost of replacement of the device constrains the employment of urological devices. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel biomaterials for use in catheters. In this study, poly hydroxyethyl-methacrylate p(HEMA) and drugs-loaded p(HEMA) with ampicillin trihydrate (AMP), levofloxacin (LVX), and drug combinations were prepared using free radical polymerization. The characterization of the dried films included the determination of glass transition temperature (Tg), ultimate tensile strength, elongation percentage, and Young’s modulus. Formulation toxicity, antimicrobial activity, and biofilm-formation ability were tested. Decreases in Tg value, U.T.S., and Young’s modulus, and an increase in elongation percentage were observed in AMP-loaded p(HEMA). Different ratios of drug combinations increased the Tg values. The films exhibited a cell viability higher than 80% on HEK 293 cells. Antimicrobial activity increased when p(HEMA) was loaded with LVX or a combination of LVX and AMP. Biofilm-forming ability reduced after the addition of antimicrobial agents to the films. p(HEMA) impregnated with AMP, LVX, and drug combinations showed significantly increased antimicrobial activity and decreased biofilm-forming ability compared with p(HEMA), in addition to the effects on (HEMA) mechanical properties.

In this study we evaluated the effect of Na Lauryl sulfate (SLS) on the water-uptake and release properties of Na Tripolyphosphate (TPP)-cross linked chitosan beads. Chitosan beads were prepared by dropping riboflavin-loaded, chitosan (CS) solution into a curing medium composed of either an aqueous solution of TPP, SLS or a combination of these solutes. The resultant beads were characterized in terms of their size, drug encapsulation efficiency, water uptake properties by gravimetry and image analysis. Drug release properties of the prepared beads were studied using USP Apparatus 1 in media with different pH and ionic strength. Composites (CS/TPP, CS/SLS, and CS/TPP/SLS) were also evaluated using DSC, FTIR and contact angle measurements. Encapsulation efficiency was found to be 93%, 93.2% and 93.1% for CS/TPP, CS/SLS, and CS/TPP/SLS beads respectively and did not show any dependence on the composition of the curing medium for riboflavin. FTIR data suggested the presence of electrostatic interactions between positively charged amine group of CS and the negatively charged TPP and SLS. Drug release from the prepared beads was prolonged with CS/SLS beads releasing the drug faster than CS/TPP beads. The slowest drug release was observed in the case of CS/TPP/SLS beads. Drug release from the different types of beads was pH-dependent with the fastest release observed in 0.1 N HCl. Gravimetric water uptake was highest for CS/SLS beads followed by CS/TPP and CS/TPP/SLS respectively. Swelling study using image analysis showed a similar trend to the gravimetric water uptake results. The drug release and water uptake results could be explained by the effect of SLS on the wettability of the beads and the ability of the release medium to hydrate them which was confirmed by the high contact angle between water and CS/TPP/SLS composites.