Issue 14, 2022

Surfaces with antifouling-antimicrobial dual function via immobilization of lysozyme on zwitterionic polymer thin films

Abstract

Due to the emergence of wide-spread infectious diseases, there is a heightened need for antimicrobial and/or antifouling coatings that can be used to prevent infection and transmission in a variety of applications, ranging from healthcare devices to public facilities. While antimicrobial coatings kill pathogenic bacteria upon contact with the surface, the antimicrobial function alone often lacks long-term effectiveness due to the accumulation of dead cells and their debris on the surface, thus reducing the performance of the coating over time. Therefore, it is desirable to develop coatings with the dual functions of antimicrobial efficacy and fouling resistance, in which antifouling coatings provide the added benefit of preventing the adhesion of dead cells and debris. Leveraging the outstanding antifouling properties of zwitterionic coatings, we synthesized copolymers with this antimicrobial-antifouling dual function by immobilizing lysozyme, a common antimicrobial enzyme, to the surface of a pyridinium-based zwitterionic copolymer. Specifically, poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-pentaflurophenyl methacrylate-co-divinyl benzene) [P(4VP-PFPMA-DVB)] thin films were synthesized by an all-dry vapor deposition technique, initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition, and derivatized using 1,3-propane sultone to obtain sulfobetaine moieties. Lysozyme, known to hydrolyze polysaccharides in the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria, was immobilized by forming amide bonds with the copolymer coating via nucleophilic substitution of the pentafluorophenyl group. The antifouling and antibacterial performance of the novel lysozyme-zwitterionic coating was tested against Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A reduction in surface adhesion of 87% was achieved for P. aeruginosa, and of 75% for B. subtilis, when compared to a common poly(vinyl chloride) surface. The lysozyme-zwitterionic coating also deactivated 67% of surface-attached Gram-positive bacteria, B. subtilis. This novel dual-function material can produce anti-infection surfaces for medical devices and surgical tools, personal care products, and surfaces in public facilities.

Graphical abstract: Surfaces with antifouling-antimicrobial dual function via immobilization of lysozyme on zwitterionic polymer thin films

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 Huk 2021
Accepted
31 Sun 2022
First published
04 Yan 2022

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2022,10, 2728-2739

Author version available

Surfaces with antifouling-antimicrobial dual function via immobilization of lysozyme on zwitterionic polymer thin films

A. Khlyustova, M. Kirsch, X. Ma, Y. Cheng and R. Yang, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2022, 10, 2728 DOI: 10.1039/D1TB02597J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements