Superhydrophilic versus normal polydopamine coating: A superior and robust platform for synergistic antibacterial and antithrombotic properties

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2020-12, Vol.402, p.126196, Article 126196
• Main Authors: Li, Linhua, Yang, Li, Liao, Yanbiao, Yu, Hongchi, Liang, Zhen, Zhang, Bo, Lan, Xiaorong, Luo, Rifang, Wang, Yunbing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-infection; Antithrombotic; Low-fouling; Polydopamine; Superhydrophilic coating
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2020.126196

A robust mussel-inspired superhydrophilic coating was constructed due to the synergistic contribution of hydrophilic surface groups and nanoparticles-stacked rough surface topography. The use of the superhydrophilic low-fouling coating supported impressive antithrombotic performance. With the construction of low-fouling platform in advance, along with the embedding of antibacterial agent, the enhanced antibacterial ability was also obtained with the killing and releasing of bacteria. [Display omitted] •The stepwise deposition of PDA induced a robust superhydrophilic coating.•The superhydrophilic PDA coating was assembled with hydrophilic nanoparticles.•Suppressed protein adhesion/activation contributed to the antithrombotic property.•PDA/Ag had an effective antibacterial ability in a low dosage-dependent manner.•A synergistic antithrombotic and antibacterial functions were obtained on PDA/Ag. Blood-contacting devices including implantation devices, indwelling medical devices, and extracorporeal circuits have been at risk of thrombus and infections, which lead to treatment failure and serious adverse clinical events. In this study, we have reported a facile and robust mussel-inspired superhydrophilic coating for use on these blood-contacting devices to combat thrombosis and infections. The coating was fabricated mainly based on the rapid formation and accumulation of polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles and in situ-synthesized using silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in the presence of sodium periodate. Therefore, the stability and long-term effects of superhydrophilicity were maintained because of the synergetic contribution of hydrophilic chemical components and surface topography of stacked nanoparticles. Different from mostly reported PDA coatings (with the water contact angle > 30°) that have good affinity to protein adsorption and cause blood coagulation, the superhydrophilic PDA coating in this work effectively reduced the nonspecific adsorption of proteins, maintained the native conformation of the adhered proteins, and further inhibited thrombus formation. Meanwhile, the superhydrophilic surface with Ag+ also demonstrated significant antibacterial properties against both Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacteria) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram-negative bacteria). Besides, the embedded Ag+ presented meaningful sustained release with less than 25% released amount even after 30 days incubation, suggesting effective and safe antibacterial ability in a low