Polydopamine/graphene oxide coatings loaded with tetracycline and green Ag nanoparticles for effective prevention of biofilms

Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation are significant challenges for medical devices and implants. Surface modification to alter the surface properties of biomedical device surfaces to prevent the biofilm formation is an important driving force for the development of anti-biofilm coatings. Here, a simple and feasible method to fabricate antibacterial coatings that combines the adhesion properties of polydopamine (PDA) and the high drug loading capacity of graphene oxide (GO). Tetracycline and green-synthesized silver nanoparticles were successfully assembled onto the coating surface, endowing the coating an anti-biofilm effect and exhibit strong inhibitory effect on S. aureus and E. coli biofilms by a factor of more than 1000 (3 log10 units). Kirby-Bauer diffusion test, colony forming unit (CFU) counts, biofilm topography studies and live/dead staining were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the coatings. This study is proposed that PDA/GO coatings loaded with antibiotics or silver nanoparticles can be used as a potential approach to prevent infection associated with implantable biomedical devices.