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Abstract
Bacterial infection of biomedical devices is still a major barrier to their use. This is compounded by increasing antibiotic resistance. Here, the specific covalent attachment of a series of dihydropyrrol-2-one (DHP), analogues of bacterial quorum sensing inhibitors, to surfaces via a Michael-type addition reaction is described. Differences in efficiency of attachment related to the substituent groups were found by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The physical characteristics of the surfaces were further explored by atomic force microscopy and contact angle measurements. The ability of these coatings to prevent the formation of a biofilm by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus was examined using confocal laser scanning microscopy and image analysis. The DHP-treated surfaces showed significant reductions in bacterial adhesion without increased killing for both strains of bacteria (p < 0.001). 5-Methylene-1-(prop-2-enoyl)-4-phenyl-dihydropyrrol-2-one was identified as having broad spectrum activity and consequently represents an excellent candidate for the development of novel surfaces for the prevention of biomedical device infections.
Acknowledgements
RC was supported by an NHMRC Dora Lush Biomedical Postgraduate Research Scholarship and the Australian Research Council's Discovery Projects funding scheme (project number DP0663368) and KH was supported by an Australian Postgraduate award and the Australian Research Council's Discovery Projects funding scheme (project number DP1095159). The authors would like to thank the Electron Microscopy Unit at the University of New South Wales Analytical Centre for assistance with the atomic force micrographs.