Antibacterial activity of copper‐bearing 316L stainless steel for the prevention of implant‐related infection

Abstract

Implant‐related infection (IRI) is a devastating complication in orthopedic procedures. Traditional materials used in orthopedics are susceptible to bacterial infection. In this study, we developed a copper‐bearing 316L stainless steel (316L‐Cu SS) for the prevention of IRI. This 316L‐Cu SS allowed stable and continuous release of copper ions with a rate of 5.079 ng/cm2/day. Compared with 316L stainless steel (316L SS), 316L‐Cu SS exhibited a broad‐spectrum antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus epidermidis with the bacterial reduction percentages of 95.2, 94.8, and 94.1%, respectively. The antibiofilm activity was confirmed by crystal violet assay, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The in vivo antibacterial performance was tested on a rat model. When nails were treated with a low concentration of bacteria, 316L SS group exhibit a bone infection with a radiographic score of 8.9 ± 1.1 and a histological score of 10.4 ± 1.0, which were higher than 316L‐Cu SS group (1.2 ± 0.2 and 0.9 ± 0.2), indicating IRI was reduced by 316L‐Cu SS. When nails were treated with a high concentration of bacteria, IRI was also alleviated by 316L‐Cu SS. Together, these results demonstrated that 316L‐Cu SS is a promising material for preventing IRI.

Antiviral properties of copper and its alloys to inactivate covid-19 virus: a review

“…Additionally, it was found that the rate increases with increase in copper content and protein band intensity started to reduce within a period of 5 min. Likewise, copper bearing stainless steel 316L-Cu SS was observed to possess favourable antibacterial property which can be used for the prevention of Implant-related infection (IRI) both in vitro and in vivo (Zhuang et al 2020 ). Inactivation of bacteria or viruses on copper, can take minutes or hours depending on whether the pathogens are gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria or enveloped or non-enveloped viruses.…”

Optimization of mechanical and antibacterial properties of Ti-3wt%Cu alloy through cold rolling and annealing

“…Moreover, it is generally believed that Cu and Cu 2? have a broad antibacterial spectrum and are strong in antimicrobial capability [7,8]. In fact, several antibacterial metallic alloys have been developed through the introduction of Cu into stainless steels and other metallic alloys, in which the precipitation of copper-bearing phase makes the alloys have antibacterial activity [9,10].…”

Effects of copper‐impregnated collagen implants on local pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory and regenerative tissue reactions following implantation in rats

“…Infection control is thus an important part in the treatment of chronic wounds (Han & Ceilley, 2017). In this context, the impregnation of an established wound dressing material like collagen with an antimicrobial agent like copper (Cu) could be a promising approach as Cu and Cu-based alloys have already been examined for prevention of implant-associated infections (Chai et al, 2011;Grass, Rensing, & Solioz, 2011;Jaiswal, McHale, & Duffy, 2012;Neel, Ahmed, Pratten, Nazhat, & Knowles, 2005;Prinz, Elhensheri, Rychly, & Neumann, 2017;Wu et al, 2013;Zhuang, Zhang, Yang, Ren, & Dai, 2019). In addition to its antibacterial effects, Cu is an essential trace element as cofactor of enzymes and proteins and necessary for many important biochemical mechanisms within the body (Manto, 2014;Squitti & Polimanti, 2013), and was found to stimulate proliferation and angiogenesis (Gerard, Bordeleau, Barralet, & Doillon, 2010;Hu, 1998;Kornblatt et al, 2016).…”