POS8-1340
Functional Polymer Coatings for Enhanced Electromediated Eradication of Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Heesuk KIM
Jinhye BAE
Presenter(s)
Hanna Zhukouskaya (Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences (IMC))
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
In medicine, diagnosis of biofilm-associated infections on the surface of implants or mucous membranes is often complicated due to the weak inflammatory response of the tissues to bacteria hidden deeply inside the matrix
This protective environment also reduces bacterial susceptibility to host immune defences and antibiotic treatment, making such infections difficult to eradicate. The formation of bacterial biofilms on the surfaces of implants, such as artificial joints and stents, is particularly problematic, because persistent infections may require revision surgery, which can be life-threatening for elderly or critically ill patients. In our study, we investigated two distinct polymer-coating strategies designed to enhance electromediated biofilm eradication. The first strategy employed a metal-complexed polytetrathienylporphyrin (poly-3TTP) coating to promote reactive oxygen species generation during anodic water oxidation. Among the investigated materials, poly-3TTP/Fe showed greater activity toward H2O2 generation than poly-3TTP/Mn and was therefore selected for antibacterial evaluation. The second strategy employed a hydrophobic ferrocene-containing polyamide (Fc-PA) coating that, upon oxidation of its ferrocene units to ferrocenium, formed a bactericidal and hydrolytically degradable polycation. Following treatment at 2.0 V for 20 min, the counts of viable bacteria in the biofilms decreased by 4.7 and 3.8 log units on poly-3TTP/Fe- and Fc-PA-coated surfaces, respectively, compared with a 2.7-log reduction on uncoated surfaces. The lower antibacterial effect observed in the presence of catalase further supported the contribution of electrogenerated H2O2. These findings demonstrate that functional polymer coatings can substantially enhance the electromediated eradication of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms through ROS generation and electrochemically triggered polycation formation.
This protective environment also reduces bacterial susceptibility to host immune defences and antibiotic treatment, making such infections difficult to eradicate. The formation of bacterial biofilms on the surfaces of implants, such as artificial joints and stents, is particularly problematic, because persistent infections may require revision surgery, which can be life-threatening for elderly or critically ill patients. In our study, we investigated two distinct polymer-coating strategies designed to enhance electromediated biofilm eradication. The first strategy employed a metal-complexed polytetrathienylporphyrin (poly-3TTP) coating to promote reactive oxygen species generation during anodic water oxidation. Among the investigated materials, poly-3TTP/Fe showed greater activity toward H2O2 generation than poly-3TTP/Mn and was therefore selected for antibacterial evaluation. The second strategy employed a hydrophobic ferrocene-containing polyamide (Fc-PA) coating that, upon oxidation of its ferrocene units to ferrocenium, formed a bactericidal and hydrolytically degradable polycation. Following treatment at 2.0 V for 20 min, the counts of viable bacteria in the biofilms decreased by 4.7 and 3.8 log units on poly-3TTP/Fe- and Fc-PA-coated surfaces, respectively, compared with a 2.7-log reduction on uncoated surfaces. The lower antibacterial effect observed in the presence of catalase further supported the contribution of electrogenerated H2O2. These findings demonstrate that functional polymer coatings can substantially enhance the electromediated eradication of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms through ROS generation and electrochemically triggered polycation formation.
