Antibacterial Polysiloxane Polymers and Coatings for Cochlear Implants.

Within this study, new materials were synthesized and characterized based on polysiloxane modified with different ratios of -acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) and crosslinked via UV-assisted thiol-ene addition, in order to obtain efficient membranes able to resist bacterial adherence and biofilm formation. These membranes were subjected to in vitro testing for microbial adherence against using standardized tests. WISTAR rats were implanted for 4 weeks with crosslinked siloxane samples without and with NAC.