Bacterial Adhesion to Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Coated PVC Catheter Surfaces

Catheters applied to the urinary tract are associated with nosocomial infections, which are one of the most common types of infections in hospitals and health care facilities and can lead to numerous medical complications. The understanding of the properties of urinary catheter surfaces and their potential modifications are therefore crucial in order to reduce bacterial adhesion. In our study, we considered polyvinyl chloride (PVC) catheter surfaces and compared their properties with the properties of the same surfaces coated with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)/poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PDADMA/PSS) polyelectrolyte multilayers. All surfaces were characterized by means of roughness, hydrophobicity, and zeta potential measurements. The bacterial adhesion extent of uropathogenic Escherichia coli on bare and polyelectrolyte multilayer coated surfaces was measured. Our results showed that on non-treated surfaces, biofilm is formed which was not the case for multilayer coated surfaces. The PSS-terminated multilayer showed the lowest bacterial adhesion which could be helpful in prevention of biofilm formation. The analysis of the surface properties showed that the most significant difference is related to the charge (i.e., zeta potential) of the examined surfaces. From our study we can conclude that the surface charge plays the crucial role in the bacterial adhesion on uncoated and coated PVC catheter surfaces.