Reduction of microbial adhesion on polyurethane by a sub-nanometer covalently-attached surface modifier

[Display omitted] •Microbial surface biofouling is a major problem in medicine and cause of infection.•MEG-OH is a thin and robust anti-fouling layer that reduces fouling and thrombosis.•MEG-OH was found to reduce biofouling by several pathogens on polyurethane tubing.•MEG-OH coatings were stable in storage, and through autoclave sterilization. Indwelling urinary catheters are a common medical device used to relieve urinary retention. Many patients who undergo urinary catheterization develop urinary tract infections (UTIs), which can lead to severe medical complications and high cost of subsequent treatment. Recent years have seen a number of attempts at reducing the rate of UTIs in catheterized patients via catheter surface modifications. In this work, a low cost, robust anti-thrombogenic, and sterilizable anti-fouling layer based on a covalently-bound monoethylene glycol hydroxide (MEG-OH) was attached to polyurethane, a polymeric material commonly used to fabricate catheters. Modified polyurethane tubing was compared to bare tubing after exposure to a wide spectrum of pathogens including Gram-negative bacteria (Pesudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli), Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and a fungus (Candida albicans). It has been demonstrated that the MEG-OH monolayer was able to significantly reduce the amount of adhesion of pathogens present on the material surface, with between 85 and 96 % reduction after 24 h of exposure. Additionally, similar reductions in surface fouling were observed following autoclave sterilization, long term storage of samples in air, and longer exposure up to 3 days.