Elizaveta S. Permyakova, Dmitry V. Shtansky, Anastasiya O. Solovieva, Natalia Sitnikova, Lucie Janů, Pavel V. Slukin, Petr Rysanek, David Nečas, Lenka Zajíčková, Sergey G. Ignatov, Anton Manakhov

Antimicrobial properties of epoxy-functionalized nanofibers with covalently immobilized ciprofloxacin

Polymers (submitted)

Purulent-inflammatory conditions affecting the skin and soft tissues are a common and burdensome consequence that significantly impacts healthcare. Currently, microbial biofilms are responsible for as much as 80% of bacterial illnesses. The extended duration of inflammation hinders the typical healing process and might result in the development of persistent wounds that are challenging to manage. Hence, it is imperative to expedite the development of more efficacious therapeutic drugs to reinstate the healing processes. This work used plasma deposition to coat the surface of polycaprolactone fibers with amine plasma polymers, followed by the epoxy functionalization and covalent attachment of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Utilizing XPS modeling, we were able to precisely determine the quantity of antibiotics present on the surface. T The effect of modified fibers on the different types of drug-resistant bacteria was investigated. The study was conducted under two specific settings: ordinary aerobic conditions and microaerophilic conditions. These conditions were chosen to simulate the typical environment during wound healing in living organisms. Evidence demonstrated that the biofilm formation was more susceptible to the effects of the substance in microaerophilic conditions. The biocompatibility of the acquired materials was assessed using a human fibroblast cell line (MRC-5).

You can also contact one of the authors: lucie.janu@ceitec.vutbr.cz, yeti@physics.muni.cz, lenkaz@physics.muni.cz, manakhov@mail.muni.cz