Atomic-layer-deposition application for antibacterial coating of biomedical materials: surgical sutures

Abstract Suture-associated surgical site infection (SSI) causes bacterial pathogens to colonize on the suture surface that are highly resistant to antibiotic treatment. Conventional suture materials used in surgical practice are causing complications such as infection and chronic inflammation. Surgical suture materials with antibacterial coatings are widely used in surgical practice. The surgical sutures based on antibacterial nanomaterials possess a more promising efficacy. The antibacterial coatings can make a significant contribution to prevention of suture-associated SSI. In the present work, we proposed a new method of antibacterial coating of the surgical sutures based on the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique. The main aim of the present work is to use the V-doped TiO2 thin film synthesized based on ALD technology, on the surface of the surgical suture to enhance its antibacterial activity for treatment of the SSI. Surgical sutures with enhanced antibacterial activity have been developed using ALD method to prevent microbial colonization of the suture material in operative incisions. The ALD experiment was performed at a temperature of 85 °C using super-cycles of self-saturating hydrolysis reactions between TiCl4 and H2O, VOCl3 and H2O precursors. Antimicrobial properties of TiVOx coated sutures were studied against two types of microorganisms, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Proteus vulgaris (Pr. Vulgaris). We demonstrate the application of ALD as a technique to synthesize nanoscale coatings on surgical suture (polypropylene, surgical suture material, non-absorbable monofilament Ethicon Prolene 2-0). We found that the coated sutures illustrated high stability. Surgical sutures coated with an antibacterial agent (TiVOx) proposed in this work based on ALD technique provide a novel approach to preparing multifunctional sutures and significantly reducing inflammatory reactions and improving wound healing. The efficiency of the derived TiVOx -coated sutures was tested on small animals for comparative analysis of the use of coated and uncoated PP sutures to prevent SSI.