Development of Antimicrobial and Antifouling Universal Coating via Rapid Deposition of Polydopamine and Zwitterionization

Abstract

Biomaterials-associated infections (BAIs) are related to bacterial colonization on medical devices, which lead to a serious medical burden, such as increased healthcare cost, prolonged hospital stays, and high mortality and morbidity. To reduce the risk of infections, in this work, a new approach which makes use of a bioinspired coating with dual antimicrobial and antifouling functions was developed through rapid deposition of functional polydopamine (pDA) and antimicrobial copper ions, and subsequent conjugation of zwitterionic antifouling sulfobetaine (SB) moieties by the aza-Michael addition reaction. pDA permits surface-independent versatile functionalization on a variety of substrates, such as TiO, SiO, gold, plastics, and Nitinol alloy. The characterizations for chemical elemental compositions and hydrophilicity by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle goniometer, respectively, indicating the successful grafting of SB moieties and the presence of copper ions in the pDA adlayers. Ellipsometric thicknesses of the thin films were followed to monitor the formation of pDA films and the changes after the post conjugation. UV-vis spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry revealed the coordination structure of catechol-Cu, and release profile of Cu from the constructed functional coatings. The superhydrophilic and charge-balanced SB interface allowed effective resistance of bacterial adsorption. Intriguingly, we scrutinized that the release of bactericidal copper ions enables killing the residual amount of adsorbed bacteria. Moreover, viability tests for fibroblast cells indicate the excellent biocompatibility of the developed medical coatings. For real-world implementation, the antifouling and antimicrobial coatings were applied on commercially available silicone-based urinary catheters, and the existence of bacteria was evaluated by using the plate-counting assay. The results showed an undetectable level of living bacteria. Consequently, the dual functional medical coating offers a promising approach to eliminate BAIs for practical applications.

Polydopamine nanostructures as biomaterials for medical applications

“…The unique combination of benign and facile processing, ubiquitous adhesion to many commodity materials, and diverse functional groups motivate the use of PDA as a coating for medical devices. The diverse chemical motifs present in PDA can be used as a dual-functional antimicrobial surface 37 . PDA is first co-polymerized with Cu 2+ ions resulting in a copper-doped film that can be deposited on commodity materials used in medical devices including titanium oxide, silicon oxide, gold, Nitinol, and silicone.…”

The effect of end‐group substitution on surface self‐assembly of peptides

“…One of the strategies to combat biofouling is to design a surface that will resist bacterial adhesion . This includes hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymer‐based materials, zwitterionic compounds, and topographical modification of the surface . However, the various strategies have disadvantages such as short‐term stability, high toxicity, and low biocompatibility …”

Clickable Zwitterionic Copolymer as a Universal Biofilm‐Resistant Coating

“…Zwitterionic polymers are well known as antifouling materials due to their significant hydration ability that limits bacterial adhesion. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] For example, the novel zwitterionic sulfobetaine (SB)-based copolymer, poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-SB methacrylate) (poly(GMA-co-SBMA)) was developed as an antifouling material for coating a number of biomaterials, including ceramics, metals, and plastics. [4] The grafting principle was based on a base-induced ring opening reaction between the epoxide groups of GMA and the hydroxyl groups on the surface of the material.…”

“…Alternatively, blocking of the initial bacterial adhesion step by coating the surface with an antifouling material has also gained much attention in biofilm prevention. Zwitterionic polymers are well known as antifouling materials due to their significant hydration ability that limits bacterial adhesion . For example, the novel zwitterionic sulfobetaine (SB)‐based copolymer, poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐ co ‐SB methacrylate) (poly(GMA‐ co ‐SBMA)) was developed as an antifouling material for coating a number of biomaterials, including ceramics, metals, and plastics .…”

“…Fan and coworkers utilized a mussel‐inspired polydopamine (PDA) coating to prepare an antimicrobial and antifouling surface through the rapid deposition of functional PDA and antimicrobial copper ions, and subsequent conjugation of zwitterionic antifouling SB moieties via an aza‐Michael addition reaction. By using PDA‐assisted coating, surface‐independent versatile functionalization with dual antifouling and antimicrobial properties was successfully obtained.…”