Just add graphene
The new development will destroy the bacteria on the implants
Evgenia Efimova, Vesti
Whenever surgeons insert an implant into a patient's body, there is a possibility that bacteria colonize the surface of an object alien to the body. In some cases, this causes the subsequent removal of the implant (due to the occurrence of bacterial infections). Swedish scientists were able to cope with the problem with the help of graphene spikes. In their opinion, the additional graphene coating of the implants will deter uninvited guests.
Recall that graphene consists of a monatomic layer of interconnected carbon atoms. Today, the miracle material (as experts have long called graphene) is used in a variety of fields: agriculture and space, when creating flexible electronics and in medicine. The reason for such popularity is simple: graphene has a long list of useful properties, such as hardness and mechanical rigidity, transparency, heat resistance, extremely low thermal conductivity.
This time, specialists from Chalmers Technical University tried using graphene to save implants from the "invasion" of bacteria. As noted in the press release, a layer of vertically standing graphene flakes forms a protective surface that prevents bacteria from attaching to the implant.
Scientists applied microscopic "flakes" of graphene to a horizontal base using a method with a rather long name – plasma-chemical deposition from the gas phase. He made it possible to create a thin surface coating on the material, which at the same time resembled tiny spikes.
The researchers then conducted a series of laboratory tests to find out how such "weapons" interact with various bacteria. It turned out that the spikes tore the shell and killed the bacteria.
However, the so-called good bacteria also came under attack. But scientists make a reservation: if this had happened in the body itself, it would hardly have made any difference. The amount of good bacteria getting on the surface of the implants would be too small to disrupt the overall balance of the patient's microbiota.
"We want bacteria not to cause infection. Otherwise, a person may need antibiotics that can disrupt the normal balance of bacteria, which will also increase the risk of pathogens developing antimicrobial resistance," says one of the members of the Santosh Pandit research group.
It is important to answer that bacteria are not able to develop resistance to graphene, and the spikes themselves do not harm human cells in any way. The reason is that each individual cell is much larger than a single bacterium: 25 micrometers in diameter versus one micrometer in diameter. Thus, what is a deadly weapon for a bacterium is only a small nuisance for a human cell (the most unpleasant thing that awaits it is a small "scratch").
Chalmers University
An additional advantage of graphene is that it has a special structure. It should help with osseointegration (one of the types of implant integration into bone tissue).
In the future, researchers from Sweden want to cover a real implant with graphene flakes, and then test it in animals.
If the development proves its effectiveness, it will help protect patients not only from infection and subsequent antibiotic treatment, but also reduce the risk of implant rejection.
According to a specialist from Chalmers Technical University, Jie Sun, graphene has great potential for use in healthcare. "But more research needs to be done before we can say with certainty that it is absolutely safe," he concludes.
The results of the study are presented in the scientific publication Advanced Materials Interfaces.
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