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- Go into the bones: an antibiotic implant will rid the wounded of infections
Go into the bones: an antibiotic implant will rid the wounded of infections
Russian scientists have created a coating for biodegradable implants used for severe fractures, which protects the patient from infections. With such injuries, infection with Staphylococcus aureus often occurs. The material destroys microbes without damaging healthy tissues and accelerates healing. According to the traumatologists, an implant providing disinfection could make their work much easier. However, experts emphasize that it is possible to unambiguously evaluate the properties of the development only after clinical trials.
Anti-Staphylococcus aureus coating
Specialists from the Institute of Chemistry of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with colleagues from other scientific organizations, have developed an innovative coating for temporary implants that are installed in severe injuries to accelerate recovery, and then safely decompose in the body. With these injuries, wound infections often develop. To combat them, scientists have created a material with the antibiotic vancomycin, vitamin K2 and zoledronic acid, which inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, which most often causes infection, but does not harm healthy bone cells.
Patients with injuries, such as fractures, often experience inflammation and bacterial infections. In addition, it happens that a temporary implant is installed to replace the damaged tissue. After restoration, the structure has to be removed during repeated surgical intervention, which creates additional stress for the body. Therefore, scientists are striving to develop implants that do not have to be removed and that would prevent infections and inflammation in the tissues.
Maria Nadaraia (Pyatkova), a junior researcher at the Institute of Chemistry of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the first author of the article
Magnesium alloys can serve as the basis for them, since they are very close to bone in mechanical properties and have the ability to bioresorption, that is, gradual dissolution in the body. However, they are prone to rapid corrosion, which causes accelerated dissolution of the material, premature failure of the implant, and other undesirable effects. Therefore, we need materials that will slow down this process.
— The developed coating allows you to control the dissolution of the magnesium alloy and thereby avoid premature destruction of the structure supporting the bone that has not yet fully recovered. On the other hand, it does not completely stop the dissolution process, which is important in the case of biodegradable implants. At the moment, we are conducting large—scale tests using laboratory animals and in the future we plan to conduct preclinical and clinical trials to prove the effectiveness and safety of the product when used in the human body," said Konstantin Nadaraia, senior researcher at the Laboratory of Biomedical Composite Coatings at the Institute of Chemistry of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Constantine Nadaraia, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
The antibiotic in the coating kills germs, zoledronic acid slows down the destruction of bone tissue, and vitamin K2 stimulates its recovery. These components were applied to a magnesium implant and secured with a layer of polydophamine, an adhesive biopolymer.
The authors placed a sample of a magnesium alloy with a developed coating on a Petri dish with a culture of Staphylococcus aureus to test its antibacterial properties. It turned out that the coating completely suppresses the growth of microorganisms — bacteria did not grow within a radius of 21 mm from the surface of the material. Moreover, the proposed composition has increased the corrosion resistance of the magnesium alloy by almost seven times, which significantly extends the service life of the coating and the implant itself in the body.
Micrography of the resulting coating
At the same time, the coating was safe for healthy bone cells. The researchers tested this in the laboratory.: on the surface of the material and in the environment where the samples were located, cells capable of turning into bone tissue were grown, they retained their normal shape and viability, without showing signs of death. The scientists additionally confirmed the absence of a toxic effect using biochemical tests.
Development of antibacterial materials
According to current traumatologists, there is a shortage of antibacterial materials in clinics today, so the emergence of new developments in this area can only be welcomed.
— Infections caused by severe injuries are a very serious problem. And we have very few such materials in traumatology. We usually use antiseptic and the same vancomycin to treat wounds. But if there was an implant that would guarantee the absence of infection, it would make the work much easier," orthopedic traumatologist Danil Baktyshev told Izvestia.
Synthesis, composition and antibacterial properties of the proposed coating
According to Stanislav Stragnov, head of the laboratory for the analysis of public health indicators and digitalization of healthcare at MIPT, the proposed material has a high potential for practical application, but it will be possible to speak unequivocally about its properties only after testing.
— The technology looks promising. Biodegradable materials have been used in medicine for years, and it seems like a logical step to think about a coating that can restrain corrosion for a while, have antibacterial and other properties useful for the recovery process. However, preclinical and clinical studies are only being planned, and it is their passage that will really prove whether the development can be implemented in practical healthcare," he said.
The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation.
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