title: Long-term release of antibiotics by carbon nanotube-coated titanium alloy surfaces diminish biofilm formation by Staphylococcus epidermidis.
abstract: Bacterial biofilms cause a considerable amount of prosthetic joint infections every year, resulting in morbidity and expensive revision surgery. To address this problem, surface modifications of implant materials such as carbon nanotube (CNT) coatings have been investigated in the past years. CNTs are biologically compatible and can be utilized as drug delivery systems. In this study, multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) coated TiAl6V4 titanium alloy discs were fabricated and impregnated with Rifampicin, and tested for their ability to prevent biofilm formation over a period of ten days. Agar plate-based assays were employed to assess the antimicrobial activity of these surfaces against Staphylococcus epidermidis. It was shown that vertically aligned MWCNTs were more stable against attrition on rough surfaces than on polished TiAl6V4 surfaces. Discs with coated surfaces caused a significant inhibition of biofilm formation for up to five days. Therefore, MWCNT-modified surfaces may be effective against pathogenic biofilm formation on endoprostheses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Center of Dental and Oral Medicine, University Hospital, Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: j.hirschfeld@bham.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Josefine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hirschfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany. Electronic address: esera@zedat.fu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Eser M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Akinoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: dieter.wirtz@ukb.uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Dieter C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Wirtz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: achim.hoerauf@ukb.uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Achim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoerauf
authors.affiliation: Division of EU co-operation/Microbiology, Paul-Ehrlich Institut, Langen, Germany. Electronic address: isabelle.Bekeredjian-Ding@pei.de.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bekeredjian-Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Center of Dental and Oral Medicine, University Hospital, Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: jepsen@uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Søren
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jepsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: el-mustapha.haddouti@ukb.uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: El-Mustapha
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Haddouti
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: andreas.limmer@uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Limmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Institute of Nanoarchitectures for Energy Conversion, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: giersig@physik.fu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giersig
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000737:chemistry; D065546:Drug Liberation; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000382:microbiology; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D012293:Rifampin / Q000737:chemistry; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000187:drug effects*; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D014025:Titanium; D012293:Rifampin
keywords: Antibiotics; Biofilm; Drug delivery system; Multi-walled carbon nanotubes; Prosthetic joint infection; S. epidermidis