Synthesis of chitosan/PEO/silica nanofiber coating for controlled release of cefepime from implants

Abstract

Nanofibers, which have good properties such as high surface to volume ratio, high porosity, very small pores, and the ability to load drugs, can be considered for a variety of medical applications. Silica/chitosan/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/cefepime nanofibers are suitable as an antibacterial coating for orthopedic implants. This bioactive coating reduced adhesion of bacteria to the surface of the implants and prevented the formation of biofilms. Electrospinning is known to be the best way to produce the nanofibers because of the low cost, simplicity of the process and production of polymeric nanofibers from biodegradable materials. The morphology of electrospun nanofibers was studied by the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The average diameters of the prepared nanofibers was determined by Image J software. Nanofibers cross linked by glutaraldehyde are stable in different pH of 5.5, 7.4 and 8.4 of SBF buffer for 24 h at 37 °C. These nanofibers are effective on E. coli, S. aureus and S. epidermidis bacteria. Cefepime release from the nanofibers was investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy at λ_max = 258.4 nm and continued for 16 days. The chemical structures of the nanofibers were evaluated by FT-IR. The growth and viability percentage of fibroblast cells with nanofibers are at desirable levels after 6 days. The aim of this work is to improve the known methods of forming antibacterial coatings on orthopedic implants to prevent the development of biofilms.