Bacteria colonization on medical devices remains one of the most serious complications following implantation. Traditional antibiotic treatment has proven ineffective, creating an increasingly high number of drug-resistant bacteria. Polymeric medical devices represent a significant portion of the total medical devices used today due to their excellent mechanical properties (such as durability, flexibility, etc). However, many polymers (such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyurethane (PU) and silicone) become readily colonized and infected by bacteria immediately after use. Therefore, in this study, a novel antimicrobial coating was developed to inhibit bacterial growth on PVC, PU and silicone. Specifically, here, the aforementioned polymeric substrates were coated with selenium (Se) nanoparticles in situ. The Se-coated substrates were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and bacteria assays. Most importantly, bacterial growth was significantly inhibited on the Se-coated substrates compared to their uncoated counterparts. The reduction of bacteria growth directly correlated with the density of Se nanoparticles on the coated substrate surfaces. In summary, these results demonstrate that Se should be further studied as a novel anti-bacterial polymeric coating material which can decrease bacteria functions without the use of antibiotics.
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