title: Preparation and in-vitro Antibacterial Evaluation of Electroless Silver Coated Polymers.
abstract: Long-term use of indwelling medical catheters has often been hindered by catheter-associated nosocomial infections. In this study the effectiveness of silver coating of polystyrene and polyethylene polymers was investigated. Polymer pieces of 2 cm(2) each were coated with a thin layer of silver using electroless plating technique. Silver-coated polymers were challenged with cultures of four different microorganisms known for their involvement in nosocomial infections in both solid and broth media. The tested bacteria included Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Silver release from the coated polymers was 2-5 μg/cm(2) which was confirmed by chemical and biological methods. The silver coating thickness ranged between 20-450 nm. P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were the most adherent bacteria to polystyrene sheets while E. coli showed minimum adherence effect. The survival rate of different bacteria after 80 min in a time course experiment tended to dominate E. coli as the most sensitive bacteria to the effect of silver with zero survival rate while around 4% of P. aeruginosa were detected after same period. Silver coating of indwelling polymers by electroless technique seems promising in combating nosocomial infections due to long-term catheterization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug and Food Control, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Fazeli
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug and Food Control, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fazel
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shamsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug and Food Control, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jamalifar
keywords: Bacterial adhesion; Electroless plating; Indwelling catheters; Polymer; Silver coated