Novel Polycaprolactone Based Coating for Catheters: Sustained Antibiotic Release for Enhanced Infection Prevention

Healthcare-associated infections are a serious concern, particularly in patients with intravascular catheters. In this study, we developed a novel ampicillin-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL)-coated polyurethane catheter (PUC) wherein polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) enhanced the adhesion between PCL and PUC, ensuring coating durability. PUC were first treated with PMHS, followed by PCL coatings containing 1, 3, or 6 wt% ampicillin. Antibacterial activity against <i>Listeria innocua</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> was evaluated using the plate counting method over 40 d. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed that the coating was uniform and stable for over 40 d. Furthermore, antibacterial efficacy was maintained for 10, 30, and 40 d for the 1, 3, and 6 wt% ampicillin coatings, respectively. Compared to the uncoated controls, the bacterial counts were reduced by over 99.9%. Thus, PMHS pretreatment of a catheter coated with ampicillin-loaded PCL exhibited sustained antibacterial activity. Our findings show PMHS enhances the coating adhesion and ensures gradual uniform degradation of the PCL layer.