Isoflavonoid-Antibiotic Thin Films Fabricated by MAPLE with Improved Resistance to Microbial Colonization
Valentina Grumezescu,
Irina Negut,
Rodica Cristescu,
Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu,
Alina Maria Holban,
Florin Iordache,
Mariana Carmen Chifiriuc,
Roger J. Narayan,
Douglas B. Chrisey
Affiliations
Valentina Grumezescu
Lasers Department, National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, 077125 Magurele, Romania
Irina Negut
Lasers Department, National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, 077125 Magurele, Romania
Rodica Cristescu
Lasers Department, National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, 077125 Magurele, Romania
Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu
Department of Science and Engineering of Oxide Materials and Nanomaterials, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, Politehnica University of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Alina Maria Holban
Research Institute of the University of Bucharest–ICUB, University of Bucharest, 050657 Bucharest, Romania
Florin Iordache
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agronomic Science and Veterinary Medicine, 59 Marasti Boulevard, 011464 Bucharest, Romania
Mariana Carmen Chifiriuc
Research Institute of the University of Bucharest–ICUB, University of Bucharest, 050657 Bucharest, Romania
Roger J. Narayan
Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
Douglas B. Chrisey
Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-negative) bacteria represent major infectious threats in the hospital environment due to their wide distribution, opportunistic behavior, and increasing antibiotic resistance. This study reports on the deposition of polyvinylpyrrolidone/antibiotic/isoflavonoid thin films by the matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) method as anti-adhesion barrier coatings, on biomedical surfaces for improved resistance to microbial colonization. The thin films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, infrared microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. In vitro biological assay tests were performed to evaluate the influence of the thin films on the development of biofilms formed by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. In vitro biocompatibility tests were assessed on human endothelial cells examined for up to five days of incubation, via qualitative and quantitative methods. The results of this study revealed that the laser-fabricated coatings are biocompatible and resistant to microbial colonization and biofilm formation, making them successful candidates for biomedical devices and contact surfaces that would otherwise be amenable to contact transmission.
