Bacterial adhesion to functionalized polyurethanes

The effect of fibrinogen and high molecular weight kininogen on bacterial a dhesion to functionalized polyurethanes was studied. Glass slides were coat ed with different polyurethanes, including Pellethane, sulfonated Pellethan e, phosphonated Pellethane, a zwitterionic phosphonated polyurethane, and q uaternized amine polyurethanes. The polymer coated glass squares were expos ed to radiolabelled S. aureus. When comparing adhesion to bare polyurethane s, it was found that adhesion was lowest on the phosphonated Pellethane and the the zwitterionic phosphonated polyurethane while highest on the methyl quaternized polyurethanes. Fibrinogen-mediated adhesion was studied by fir st exposing the polymers to increasing concentrations of canine fibrinogen before incubating them with S. aureus. All the polymers except the quaterni zed amine polyurethanes exhibited at least ten-fold increases in bacterial adhesion as the fibrinogen treatment concentration was increased from 0.0 t o 10.0 mu g ml(-1). The quaternized amine polyurethanes maintained their re latively high amount of bacterial adhesion regardless of the fibrinogen con centration. The effect of two-chain high molecular weight kininogen (TCHMWK ) on fibrinogen-mediated bacterial adhesion was assessed by exposing the po lymers to 1.0 mu g ml(-1) fibrinogen followed by two different concentratio ns of TCHMWK. Decreases in bacterial adhesion were on all the polymers exce pt the quaternized amine polyurethanes, which again retained their relative ly high amount of bacterial adhesion.