Use of textile dyeing technology to create an infection-resistant functionalized polyester biomaterial

Infection is a major complication when utilizing implantable devices. The purpose of this study was to create a functionalized polyethylene terephthalate (polyester) biomaterial with sustained antimicrobial properties using textile‐dyeing technology. Polyester was hydrolyzed via exposure to sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to provide two functional sites within the polymeric backbone. A modified textile dyeing technique known as thermofixation or pad‐heating (pad‐heat) in conjunction with autoclaving was employed to directly incorporate the fluoroquinolone antibiotic Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) into polyester fibers. Woven polyester segments were placed into various concentrations of boiling NaOH solutions to create carboxylic acid and hydroxyl groups (HYD). The segments were then sprayed (padded) with a 5 mg mL−1 Cipro solution and dried overnight, followed by exposure to intense heat and autoclaving. Untreated HYD, Cipro‐dipped, and pad‐heat‐treated HYD segments were then washed under stringent conditions. The antimicrobial activity of the each material was determined via zone of inhibition. Untreated HYD controls had no antimicrobial activity at any of the time periods examined. Cipro‐dipped HYD segments had no antimicrobial activity after 1 h. In contrast, antimicrobial activity for autoclaved, pad‐heat‐treated HYD segments persisted for 80 days (length of study). Autoclave usage prior to plating affected antimicrobial activity substantially. Additionally, varying hydrolysis concentrations did not significantly affect overall Cipro release. Thus, Cipro application to HYD polyester via thermofixation resulted in controlled, sustained antibiotic release over an extended period of time. The long‐term infection resistance provided by this technique may address major problems of infection from which implantable devices suffer. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010.