Heterophase CuO/Cu/Fe nanoparticle incorporated polyurethane coating for combating catheter-induced infection

To combat biofilm formation on the surface of medical devices, a new coatings based on polyurethane filled with heterophase nanoparticles CuO/Cu/Fe composition have been developed. Due to the synergistic antibacterial effect of the nanoparticle constituents, the obtained coatings demonstrated exceptional antibacterial activity. Thus the coating containing 5 % wt. or more of the CuO/Cu/Fe nanoparticles was at least 99.99 % against bacteria S. aureus, A. bumannii, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa. For this coating, the value of surface energy was maximum, indicating an increase in its hydrophobicity. The operational life of the catheter samples was more than 30 days, which exceeds the operational life of standard urinary catheters. Based on the results obtained, the application of the developed coating is a promising strategy for solving the catheter-associated urinary tract infection problem. Good biocompatibility was determined in vitro using 3T3 fibroblast cell culture, which is highly sensitive to toxic effects. Compared to other strategies of catheter surface modification, the use of polyurethane coating with nanoparticles of complex composition has a number of advantages: high antibacterial activity of nanoparticles due to the synergistic effect of constituents; biocompatibility of the coating provided by the use of biometals; long-term service life due to good adhesion of the coating to the standard silicon Foley catheter. Thus, the proposed coating containing nanoparticles effectively prevents bacterial colonization on catheters or other implants, thereby reducing the risk of postoperative catheter-induced infection.