Version 2 2018-08-09, 17:20Version 2 2018-08-09, 17:20
Version 1 2018-05-18, 07:28Version 1 2018-05-18, 07:28
journal contribution
posted on 2018-05-04, 00:00authored byJiaul Hoque, Vikas Yadav, Relekar G. Prakash, Kaustuv Sanyal, Jayanta Haldar
Polymer–silver
nanocomposites have emerged as an integral
weapon to combat device-related infections. However, synthesis of
the nanocomposites still remains a major challenge that often involves
two-step process in which silver nanoparticles are synthesized ex
situ. Additionally, polymers used in the nanocomposites are commonly
not antimicrobial and biodegradable thus often lack bioactivity and
biocompatibility. Herein we report highly active dual-function polymer-silver
nanocomposites consisting of an inherently antimicrobial and biodegradable
polymer in one-pot. A simple method of in situ reduction of a silver
salt was employed to synthesize the silver nanoparticles (5–15
nm) from silver para-toluenesulfonate in which the
intrinsically biodegradable and antimicrobial polymer N,N-dimethyl-N-hexadecyl ammonium
chitin tosylate acted as reducing as well as stabilizing agent. The
nanocomposite with the water-insoluble and organo-soluble polymer
was simply painted onto surfaces via facile noncovalent immobilization.
Notably, composite-coated surfaces inactivated both drug-sensitive
and drug-resistant bacteria including pathogenic fungi at a much faster
rate than polymer alone. The composites released active silver ions
over an extended period of time and displayed remarkably long-lasting
activity. In addition, surfaces coated with composites effectively
inhibited both bacterial and fungal biofilm formation. Further, upon
coating on catheter, the nanocomposites reduced methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) burden both on catheter (>99.99%
reduction) and in tissues surrounding the catheter (>99.999% reduction)
in a mice model. These novel nanomaterials that showed negligible
hemolysis toward human erythrocytes might be used as safe and effective
antimicrobial coatings in biomedical device applications.