Antiadhesive polymer brush coating functionalized with antimicrobial and RGD peptides to reduce biofilm formation and enhance tissue integration.

This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of polymer-peptide conjugates to be used as infection-resistant coating for biomaterial implants and devices. Antiadhesive polymer brushes composed of block copolymer Pluronic F-127 (PF127) were functionalized with antimicrobial peptides (AMP), able to kill bacteria on contact, and arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) peptides to promote the adhesion and spreading of host tissue cells. The antiadhesive and antibacterial properties of the coating were investigated with three bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Bacterial adhesion forces with substratum surfaces and the susceptibility of biofilms to antibiotics.

Biofilms causing biomaterial-associated infection resist antibiotic treatment and usually necessitate the replacement of infected implants. Here we relate bacterial adhesion forces and the antibiotic susceptibility of biofilms on uncoated and polymer brush-coated silicone rubber. Nine strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa adhered more weakly to brush-coated silicone rubber (-0.

Pluronic-lysozyme conjugates as anti-adhesive and antibacterial bifunctional polymers for surface coating.

This paper describes the preparation and characterization of polymer-protein conjugates composed of a synthetic triblock copolymer with a central polypropylene oxide (PPO) block and two terminal polyethylene oxide (PEO) segments, Pluronic F-127, and the antibacterial enzyme lysozyme attached to the telechelic groups of the PEO chains. Covalent conjugation of lysozyme proceeded via reductive amination of aldehyde functionalized PEO blocks (CHO-Pluronic) and the amine groups of the lysine residues in the protein. SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis together with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis revealed formation of conjugates of one or two lysozyme molecules per Pluronic polymer chain.