LC-NanoCoat · Design, characterization, and evaluation of biofilm eradicating hybrid liquid crystalline nano-coatings for new 3D porous orthopedic implants

Design, characterization, and evaluation of biofilm eradicating hybrid liquid crystalline nano-coatings for new 3D porous orthopedic implants

Orthopedic implant-associated biofilm infections represent a major public health and socioeconomic burden due to the intrinsic tolerance of biofilms that behave as protective and immobile scaffolds to conventional antibiotics and immune system. Further, their long-term and repeated antibiotic treatments lead to an increased antibiotic resistance. This necessitates the efforts to effectively prevent and combat biofilm development and associated infections and assist host tissues around the implants in winning 'the race for the surface' through implant surface modifications and use of antibacterial coatings. The project considers the urgent societal needs for introducing an effective and universal approach in orthopedic implant patterning and functionalization for combating and preventing implant-associated infections. It focuses on a priority research area of global importance (biofilm infections) through the development of effective coatings based on non-lamellar liquid crystalline (LLC) phases, which have capability of loading and sustaining release of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs. We aimed at investigating the potential of LLC nanostructures generated from amphiphilic lipids, including monounsaturated glycerol monooleate (GMO) and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) for the local delivery of antimicrobial agents to prevent bacterial colonization, biofilm formation, and combat the emergence of antibiotic resistance. In this context, the project particularly focused on: (1) developing a new generation of antibiotic-free and antibiotic-loaded nanocoatings with tunable structural features, and capability of local delivery of antimicrobial agents and tailoring their releases, (2) their advanced characterization by using different modalities including static small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and dynamic grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), in combination with in vitro profiling on model implant-associated biofilm infections. We have developed an innovative antibacterial coatings approach and presented the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of coatings, which are generated from inverse LLC nanostructures and designed for functionalization of metallic orthopedic implants. The structural characterization of developed coatings was performed by using different state-of-art methodologies, including time-resolved synchrotron GISAXS. The outcomes of the project have provided a new insight in the design of biocompatible nanocoatings with tunable structural features and potent bactericidal activities for orthopedic implants. By this achievement, it is expected to reduce antibiotic use and assist in overcoming antimicrobial resistance development.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз