Antibacterial Activity and Cytotoxicity of Immobilized Glucosamine/Chondroitin Sulfate on Polylactic Acid Films

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most produced polymeric materials, due to its exceptional chemical and mechanical properties. Some of them, such as biodegradability and biocompatibility, make them attractive for biomedical applications. Conversely, the major drawback of PLA in the biomedical field is their vulnerability to bacterial contamination. This study focuses on the immobilization of saccharides onto the PLA surface by a multistep approach, with the aim of providing antibacterial features and evaluting the synergistic effect of these saccharides. In this approach, after poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) brushes attached non-covalently to the PLA surface via plasma post-irradiation grafting technique, immobilization of glucosamine (GlcN) and chondroitin sulfate (ChS) to the PAA brushes was carried out. To understand the changes in surface properties, such as chemical composition, surface topography and hydrophilicity, the untreated and treated PLA films were analyzed using various characterization techniques (contact angle, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). In vitro cytotoxicity assays were investigated by the methyl tetrazolium test. The antibacterial activity of the PLA samples was tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria strains. Plasma-treated films immobilized with ChS and GlcN, separately and in combination, demonstrated bactericidal effect against the both bacteria strains and also the results revealed that the combination has no synergistic effect on antibacterial action.

Applications of PLA in modern medicine

“…Optimal antibacterial effects for ChS were seen against E. coli, while GlcN was superior against S. aureus. This proposed surface modification may hasten the emergence of PLA based medical devices to market [49] .…”

Plasma Mediated Chlorhexidine Immobilization onto Polylactic Acid Surface via Carbodiimide Chemistry: Antibacterial and Cytocompatibility Assessment

“…Samples PLA_DC and PLA_DC_EDAC exhibited the highest cytocompatibility. This result was expected as the plasma treatment increased the hydrophilic character of PLA and the wettability of the surface affects cell behavior, especially the cell attachment [37][38][39][40][41]. However, without further immobilization of chlorhexidine, these samples did not exhibit any antibacterial effect.…”

Development and testing of a 3D-printable polylactic acid device to optimize a water bioremediation process

“…We consider that competition for nutrients between the introduced alga, and these heterotrophic populations were the main driver of this phenomenon, even when specific antagonistic effects cannot be ruled out. PLA itself is not considered to exert antibacterial effects; however, several developments for medical purposes based on the addition of antibacterial substances (e.g., saccharides, metal ions) and nanofillers to PLA scaffolds have been published (Karakurt et al, 2019 , and references therein).…”