Adsorbed poly(ethyleneoxide)-poly(propyleneoxide) copolymers on synthetic surfaces: spectroscopy and microscopy of polymer structures and effects on adhesion of skin-borne bacteria.
Poly(ethyleneoxide)-copoly(propyleneoxide) (PEO-PPO) polymer coatings were evaluated for their resistance to the attachment of the marker organism Serratia marcescens and the skin-borne bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis. The copolymers were adsorbed onto poly(styrene) films-chosen as simplified physicochemical models of skin surfaces-and their surface characteristics probed by contact angle goniometry, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These functional surfaces were then presented to microbial cultures, bacterial attachment was assessed by fluorescence microscopy and AFM, and the structures of the polymer films examined again spectroscopically. Surface characterization data suggest that the adsorbed copolymer was partially retained at the surface and resisted bacterial attachment for 24 h. Quantitative evaluation of cell attachment was carried out by scintillation counting of (14)C-labeled microorganisms in conjunction with plate counts. The results show that a densely packed layer of PEO-PPO copolymer can reduce attachment of skin commensals by an order of magnitude, even when the coating is applied by a simple adsorptive process. The work supports the hypothesis that adhesion of microorganisms to biological substrates can be reduced if a pretreatment with an appropriate copolymer can be effected in vivo.
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Portsmouth, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, United Kingdom.
Lorraine H
LH
Marsh
Mark
M
Coke
Peter W
PW
Dettmar
Richard J
RJ
Ewen
Michael
M
Havler
Thomas G
TG
Nevell
John D
JD
Smart
James R
JR
Smith
Barry
B
Timmins
John
J
Tsibouklis
Cameron
C
Alexander
D000327:Adsorption; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D011409:Propylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D012706:Serratia marcescens / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000502:physiology; D013499:Surface Properties
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011108:Polymers; D011409:Propylene Glycols; C012504:polypropylene glycol; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols