In vitro and in vivo comparisons of staphylococcal biofilm formation on a cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol)-based polymer coating

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) coatings are known to reduce microbial adhesion ill terms of numbers and binding strength However, bacterial adhesion remains of the order of 10(4) cm(-2) It is unknown whether this density of bacteria will eventually grow into a biofilm This study investigates the kinetics of staphylococcal biofilm formation oil a commercially produced, robust, cross-linked PEG-based polymer coating (OptiChem(R)) in vitro and in vivo OptiChem(R) inhibits biofilm formation in vitro, and although adsorption of plasma proteins encourages biofilm formation, microbial growth kinetics are still strongly delayed compared to uncoated glass. In vivo, OptiChem(R)-coated and bare silicone rubber samples were inserted into an infected murine subcutaneous pocket model In contrast to bare silicone rubber, OptiChem(R) samples did not become colonized upon reimplantation despite the fact that surrounding tissues were always culture-positive. We conclude that the commercial OptiChem(R) coating considerably slows down bacterial biofilm formation both in vitro and in vivo, making it an attractive candidate for biomaterials Implant coating (C) 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved