Safe catheters
A polymer coating for catheters has been created that will save thousands of lives
Infections that can be obtained while in hospitals are a serious problem. The most common and dangerous type of such ailments are infections that can occur after the introduction of catheters into the blood vessels of patients.
In the USA alone, more than 150 million intravascular catheters are placed on people annually, and infections caused by this procedure develop in 250 thousand patients per year. In 25 percent of cases, infection leads to death.
For this reason, experts around the world are trying to find a way to deal with them. And recently, experts from Brown University in the USA presented a new coating for catheters, which, according to scientists, is capable of destroying bacteria, preventing them from creating colonies in the form of biofilms.
Let us explain that microscopic organisms form so–called biofilms - colonies, in which communication is carried out with the help of signaling molecules. Bacterial biofilms are much more dangerous than each of them individually, which is why it is so important to prevent pathogens from creating them.
"Biofilms, if compared with planktonic [free–floating] bacteria, are thousands of times more difficult to treat even with the help of large concentrations of the necessary drugs," explains the author of the work Anita Shukla.
To obtain a new coating, specialists created a solution of polyurethane and auranofin, which was previously used in the United States for the treatment of arthritis. However, the latest study has shown its effectiveness in the fight against Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria. Among other things, auranofin does not allow microbes to develop resistance to it.
After receiving the solution, the scientists applied the resulting liquid to the catheter. Then the solvent evaporated, leaving behind a strong polymer layer.
According to the test results, this coating can stretch up to 500 percent while maintaining its integrity.
In order to test the effectiveness of their development, the authors of the study treated catheters with a new coating, and then placed them in solutions and on glass plates containing the most dangerous methicillin-resistant bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
The scientists found that for 26 days the coating gradually released auranofin, suppressing the growth of MRSA on catheters. But, most importantly, the researchers managed to prevent the formation of bacterial biofilms, which, by the way, a traditional antibiotic could not do.
Previous ways of solving the problem did not give such a good result. For example, other coatings lost their effectiveness after two weeks of use. It turned out that they released the active substance too quickly.
The authors of a recent study also tested their coating for toxicity. It turned out that it does not have a negative effect on human blood cells or liver. However, scientists recognize the need for further research before clinical trials of the novelty are launched.
Perhaps in the future, such a coating will help to effectively cope with dangerous nosocomial infections.
Article by Liu et al. Auranofin Releasing Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Polyurethane Intravascular Catheter Coatings is presented in the publication Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.
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