Antimicrobial-containing nanocomposite coatings can respond to bacterial challenge through multiple mechanisms and show unprecedented antibacterial efficacy. Coatings composed of similarly charged montmorillonite (MMT) clay nanoplatelets and polyacrylic acid (PAA) can take up and sequester large amounts of antibiotics under normal physiologic conditions, preventing the development of antibiotic resistance. When challenged with media-acidifying bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis or Escherichia coli), they release PAA-bound gentamicin and increase their water uptake, while retaining MMT-bound antibiotics. These multiple bacteria-triggered responses, together with biocompatibility to tissue cells, make these coatings promising candidates for protecting biomaterial implants and devices against bacterial colonization.
- Svetlana Pavlukhina
- Iryna Zhuk
- Svetlana A Sukhishvili
