Non-destructive processing of silver containing glass ceramic antibacterial coating on polymeric surgical mesh surfaces

Surgical meshes composed of bioinert polymers such as polypropylene are widely used in millions of hernia repair procedures to prevent the recurrence of organ protrusion from the damaged abdominal wall. However, post-operative mesh infection remains a significant complication, elevating hernia recurrence risks from 3.6% to 10%, depending on the procedure type. While attempts have been made to mitigate these infection-related complications by using antibiotic coatings, the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains threatens their effectiveness. Bioactive glass-ceramics featuring noble metals, notably silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), have recently gained traction for their wide antibacterial properties and biocompatibility. Yet, conventional methods of synthesizing and coating of such materials often require high temperatures, thus making them impractical to be implemented on temperature-sensitive polymeric substrates. To circumvent this challenge, a unique approach has been explored to deposit these functional compounds onto temperature-sensitive polypropylene mesh (PP-M) surfaces. This approach is based on the recent advancements in cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) assisted deposition of SiO2 thin films and laser surface treatment (LST), enabling the selective heating and formation of functional glass-ceramic compounds under atmospheric conditions. A systematic study was conducted to identify optimal LST conditions that resulted in the effective formation of a bioactive glass-ceramic structure without significantly altering the chemical and mechanical properties of the underlying PP-M (less than 1% change compared to the original properties). The developed coating with optimized processing conditions demonstrated high biocompatibility and persistent antibacterial properties (>7 days) against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The developed process is expected to provide a new stepping stone towards depositing a wide range of functional bioceramic coatings onto different implant surfaces, thereby decreasing their risk of infection and associated complications.

Automated summary

Surgical meshes made of bioinert polymers such as polypropylene are commonly used in hernia repair to prevent organ protrusion, but post-operative mesh infection is a significant complication. Antibiotic coatings have been used to mitigate infection-related complications, but antibiotic resistance is a concern. Bioactive glass-ceramics with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have shown antibacterial properties, but their synthesis and coating methods are impractical for temperature-sensitive polymeric substrates. A new approach using cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) and laser surface treatment (LST) was explored to deposit functional glass-ceramic compounds onto polypropylene mesh surfaces. The developed coating demonstrated high biocompatibility and persistent antibacterial properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, offering new possibilities for reducing infection risk in implants.