An immobilized liquid interface prevents device associated bacterial infection in vivo

Abstract

Virtually all biomaterials are susceptible to biofilm formation and, as a consequence, device-associated infection. The concept of an immobilized liquid surface, termed slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS), represents a new framework for creating a stable, dynamic, omniphobic surface that displays ultralow adhesion and limits bacterial biofilm formation. A widely used biomaterial in clinical care, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), infused with various perfluorocarbon liquids generated SLIPS surfaces that exhibited a 99% reduction in S. aureus adhesion with preservation of macrophage viability, phagocytosis, and bactericidal function. Notably, SLIPS modification of ePTFE prevents device infection after S. aureus challenge in vivo, while eliciting a significantly attenuated innate immune response. SLIPS-modified implants also decrease macrophage inflammatory cytokine expression in vitro, which likely contributed to the presence of a thinner fibrous capsule in the absence of bacterial challenge. SLIPS is an easily implementable technology that provides a promising approach to substantially reduce the risk of device infection and associated patient morbidity, as well as health care costs.

Maintenance of Endothelial Cell Function in Liquid Based Antithrombotic Surface Coating

“…Established studies demonstrate antifouling and antithrombotic benefits of the SLIPS-treated surface [7,12,13]. Antifouling and antithrombotic efficacy results from the slippery surface to repel adhesion of biomolecules.…”

“…The SLIPS-treated surface holds additional advantages including high stability and optical transparency as well as being simple, efficient and cost effective to fabricate. Two medical applications derived from liquid repellency of the SLIPS technology include: i) Antifouling: the SLIPS treatment has revealed a superior effect in preventing absorption of proteins and microorganisms than PEGylation, which is a standard antifouling procedure [12,13]; ii) Antithrombotics: the SLIPS treatment has been applied in a variety of medical-grade materials such as polycarbonate and polyvinyl chloride and greatly decreases thrombogenicity of the individual substrates [7].…”

Emerging Applications of Bioinspired Slippery Surfaces in Biomedical Fields

“…S. aureus (2.6×107 CFU, 50 μL) was introduced into the implant site 24 h later. Three days after bacterial inoculation, infection rate (%) was calculated by dividing the number of infected implants by the total number of implants (* P <0.05) …”

“…Recently, another approach to substantially reduce device associated bacterial infection in vivo was presented based on LISS coating . By infusing expanded polytetrauoroethylene (ePTFE) with perfuorocarbon liquids (PFPE, perfluorodecalin and perfluoroperhydrophenanthrene), liquid‐infused coatings were obtained and applied to prevent device/implant infection (Figure c).…”

Drop mobility on chemically heterogeneous and lubricant-impregnated surfaces

“…A reduction in biofilm attachment over a seven-day period of up to 96-99.6% is reported for some of the most common and opportunistic pathogens in both terrestrial and aquatic environments [86], an improvement of more than one order of magnitude vs. best-case scenario PEG-functionalized surfaces [88]. This easily implementable technology provides a promising approach to substantially reduce the risk of device infection and associated patient morbidity [89] and biocompatible coatings on medical devices to prevent thrombosis [90] or improve operative field visibility in endoscopy [91]. Slippery LISs show also good repellency against marine macrofouling organisms [73,92].…”