Organic/polymeric antibiofilm coatings for surface modification of medical devices

Abstract

Infections arising from implanted medical devices cause considerable challenges for medicinal specialists and patients. These infections usually arise from the accumulation of biofilm on the device, which is difficult to eliminate and typically needs antibiotic treatment and removal of the device. In this regard, efforts have been made to design the devices or functional polymer coatings that have anti-fouling or antimicrobial properties to limit the formation of biofilm and following infection by preventing or killing bacteria near the device surface or by restricting the initial binding of proteins and bacteria. Herein, the extent of device-related infections, the biofilm formation mechanism, the role of biofilm construction in human pathogenesis, and the key strategies for the progress of antibiofilm coatings are discussed. The most promising antibiofilm coating approaches, comprising the surface topography modifications as well as the PEG, hydrogel, polyzwitterion, Benign bacterial biofilm, enzyme, cationic polymer, PTFE, and smart coatings, etc., were also summarized to avoid the biofilm formation and bacteria proliferation via controlling the antibiofilm mechanisms. 

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Antibiofilm
• antimicrobial
• coating
• hospital infections
• medical devices

Additional information

Funding

This research has been supported by the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran (Grant Number: 67822).