Biodegradable Polymer Releasing Antibiotic Developed for Drainage Catheter of Cerebrospinal Fluid: In Vitro Results

Abstract

The authors developed a biodegradable polymer that releases an antibiotic (nalidixic acid) slowly and continuously, for prevention of catheter-induced infection during drainage of cerebrospinal fluid. We investigated the in vitro antibiotic releasing characteristics and bacterial killing effects of the new polymer against E. coli. The novel fluoroquinolone polymer was prepared using diisopropylcarbodiimide, poly (e-caprolactone) diol, and nalidixic acid. FT-IR, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis proved that the novel antibacterial polymer was prepared successfully without any side products. Negative MS showed that the released drug has a similar molecular weight (M.W.=232, 350) to pure drug (M.W.=232). In high pressure liquid chromatography, the released drug and drug-oligomer showed similar retention times (about 4.5-5 min) in comparison to pure drug (4.5 min). The released nalidixic acid and nalidixic acid derivatives have antibacterial characteristics against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhi, of more than 3 months duration. This study suggests the possibility of applying this new polymer to manufacture drainage catheters that resist catheter-induced infection, by delivering antibiotics for a longer period of more than 1 month.

An Eco-Friendly, Simple, and Inexpensive Method for Metal-Coating Strontium onto Halloysite Nanotubes

“…Disadvantages of the polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) carriers currently used include insufficient antibiotic release, lack of sustained release, and the need for surgical removal of PMMA beads, as they are not biodegradable [6,7]. In contrast, biodegradable and polymeric antibiotic carriers can offer a sustained release, eliminating the need for removal until they are gradually replaced by new tissue [8][9][10].…”