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Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden developed the new method, in which water-insoluble antibacterial molecules were bound to graphene.
Bacterial infections resulting from medical implants place a huge burden on healthcare and cause great suffering to patients worldwide, the researchers said. Certain bacteria can form impenetrable surface layers known as biofilms on surgical implants, such as dental and other orthopaedic implants. Biofilms are more resistant than other bacteria, and infections are therefore often difficult to treat, sometimes leading to removal or replacement of the implants.
“Through our research, we have succeeded in binding water-insoluble antibacterial molecules to the graphene, and having the molecules release in a controlled, continuous manner from the material,” said first author Santosh Pandit.
“Graphene offers great potential here for interaction with hydrophobic molecules or drugs, and when we created our new material, we made use of these properties. The process of binding the antibacterial molecules takes place with the help of ultrasound.”
In the study, the graphene material was covered with usnic acid, which is extracted from lichens and has good bactericidal properties. It works by preventing bacteria from forming nucleic acids, blocking protein production in the cell.
Usnic acid was tested for its resistance to the pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, two common culprits for biofilm formation on medical implants. The new material displayed a number of promising properties – the results showed successful integration of the acid into the surface of the graphene material, and the researchers observed that the acid molecules were released in a controlled and continuous manner, preventing the formation of biofilms on the surface.
“Even more importantly, our results show that the method for binding the hydrophobic molecules to graphene is simple,” said Pandit. “It paves the way for more effective antibacterial protection of biomedical products in the future. We are now planning trials where we will explore binding other hydrophobic molecules and drugs with even greater potential to treat or prevent various clinical infections.”
The binding method could easily be integrated into industrial processes, he added.
The research was published in Scientific Reports.
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