title: Effects of aqueous polymeric surfactants on silicone-hydrogel soft- contact-lens wettability and bacterial adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
abstract: Prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa binding to soft-contact lenses (SCLs) may curtail sight-threatening microbial keratitis. Substrate surface wettability is known to modulate adhesion of P. aeruginosa. This study investigates the use of aqueous alkoxylate block co-polymer surfactants for enhanced wettability and antibacterial adhesion of SCLs under leaching conditions. Specifically, Pluronic(®) F127 (PF) and three ethylene oxide-butylene oxide (EOBO) surfactants were studied with four commercially available silicone-hydrogel contact lenses: Pure Vision™, Acuvue Advance™, Acuvue Oasys™ and O(2)Optix™. Dilute aqueous PF and EOBO surfactants impregnated all four soft-contact lenses, as demonstrated by surface-tension decline for leached surfactant. For PF surfactant, significant surface-wettability improvement upon rinsing occurred only after overnight leaching. EOBO surfactant showed a similar pattern with O(2)Optix™ lenses. EOBO-pretreated Pure Vision™ lenses, however, showed fast leaching and a significant change in surface energy towards improved wettability. Adhesion assays of P. aeruginosa displayed a small decrease in the binding rate of PAK bacteria for EOBO-pretreated Pure Vision™ lenses, but not for EOBO-pretreated O(2)Optix™ lenses. P. aeruginosa strain-PAO1 bacteria adhesion to all lenses was independent of surface wettability. Despite the ability of polymeric surfactants to lower advancing contact angles under leaching conditions, increased lens wettability is not a universal panacea for antifouling of soft-contact lenses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Victoria B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Ye Suel
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Kendra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Copley
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Radke
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic / Q000382:microbiology*; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005027:Ethylene Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020100:Hydrogels; D020442:Poloxamer / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000502:physiology*; D012828:Silicones; D013500:Surface Tension; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017155:Wettability / Q000187:drug effects*; D005466:Fluorocarbons
chemical_list: D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D005027:Ethylene Oxide; D020100:Hydrogels; D020442:Poloxamer; D012828:Silicones; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C481129:lotrafilcon A; D005466:Fluorocarbons; C027488:1,2-epoxybutane