Anti-adhesion and antiproliferative cellulose triacetate membrane for prevention of biomaterial-centred infections associated with Staphylococcus epidermidis.

The initial step in preventing biomaterial-associated infections consists of preventing bacterial adhesion to the device surface. One possible approach is the design of antibiotic-releasing biomaterials. Cellulose triacetate (CTA) membranes with the antibiotic imipenem (IPM) entrapped (CTA-IPM) were prepared. The material was characterised in terms of surface morphology by scanning electron microscopy, surface free energy of interaction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Antibiotic release studies were also performed. In vitro adhesion of Staphylococcus epidermidis RP62A to CTA-IPM was investigated using a modified microtitre plate assay, and the antibacterial activity of the CTA-IPM membrane was assessed by a modified Kirby-Bauer test, which showed effective entrapment of the antibiotic as confirmed by XPS and hydrophilicity assays. Release studies showed that this drug-polymer conjugate serves as an adequate reservoir for sustained release of IPM over a period of 71h at an effective bacteriostatic concentration. Moreover, bacterial adhesion tests showed a statistically significant decrease in the adhesion of S. epidermidis RP62A to CTA-IPM compared with its adhesion to CTA alone. The present innovative approach is capable of providing a membrane with anti-adhesive and antiproliferative properties, thus encouraging in vivo studies to provide a better simulation of the clinical situation.