Macroporous poly(ϵ-caprolactone) with antimicrobial activity obtained by iodine polymerization

Abstract

The most serious problems usually encountered in the field of implanted medical devices are the infectious morbidity as primary source of mortality. In this work, the synthesis and characterization of a macroporous iodine based sanitizer (iodophor), poly(caprolactone)-iodine, are presented. Characterization methods include nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), nitrogen adsorption-desorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The in vitro cytotoxicity to CHO cells in the MTT assay and antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were examined. The obtained macropore poly(caprolactone)-iodine structures had a rather narrow size distribution. PCL-I iodophor was non-cytotoxic to CHO cells in the MTT assay. Bactericidal activities of the PCL-I were assessed against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The tested PCL-I showed more antimicrobial activity against E. coli and was less active against S. aureus.