Reducing bacterial adhesion to titanium surfaces using low intensity alternating electrical pulses

Abstract

BACKGROUND Orthopedic implant-related infection remains one of the most serious complications after orthopedic surgery. In recent years, there has been an increased scientific interest to improve prevention and treatment strategies. However, many of these strategies have focused on chemical measures. AIM To analyze the effect of alternating current electrical fields on bacterial adherence to titanium surfaces. METHODS Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) and Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) were exposed to 6.5 V electrical currents at different frequencies: 0.5 Hz, 0.1 Hz, and 0.05 Hz. After exposure, a bacterial count was then performed and compared to the control model. Other variables registered included the presence of electrocoagulation of the medium, electrode oxidation and/or corrosion, and changes in pH of the medium. RESULTS The most effective electrical model for reducing S. aureus adhesion was 6.5 V alternating current at 0.05 Hz achieving a 90% adhesion reduction rate. For E. coli , the 0.05 Hz frequency model also showed the most effective results with a 53% adhesion reduction rate, although these were significantly lower than S. aureus . Notable adhesion reduction rates were observed for S. aureus and E.coli in the studied conditions. However, the presence of electrode oxidation makes us presume these conditions are not optimal for in vivo use. CONCLUSION Although our findings suggest electrical currents may be useful in preventing bacterial adhesion to metal surfaces, further research using other electrical conditions must be examined to consider their use for in vivo trials.

Self-promoted electroactive biomimetic mineralized scaffolds for bacteria-infected bone regeneration

“…Natural bone can form microarea electrostatic fields under stress conditions, thereby inhibiting the adhesion and proliferation of bacteria 29 . Different from traditional electrically inert tissue-engineering scaffolds, the sp-EMS not only simulates the native bone electrical microenvironment through self-promoted electrochemical reactions but also releases electrochemical reaction products to achieve antibacterial properties (Fig.…”

“…However, antibiotics not only have difficulty dealing with complex infections but also inhibit the osteoinductive properties of bone grafts [34][35][36] . The native bone environment possesses an endogenous electroactive interface that induces stem cell differentiation and inhibits bacterial adhesion and activity 12,29 . Mimicking a native bioelectrical environment, we developed the sp-EMS to improve the antibacterial and regenerative potentials of bone grafts.…”