Antibacterial Thermoplastic Polyurethane/PL-DOSS Composite Films

Medical devices-related infections pose a great threat to patients and cause an increased morbidity and mortality. Herein, we prepare an antibacterial composite (TPU- x ) through blending medical grade thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and the complex (PL-DOSS) of ε -polylysine ( ε -PL) and docusate sodium (DOSS). >99% reduction of colony forming unit (CFU) can be obtained in TPU- x composite films even at relatively low content of PL-DOSS, e.g. 0.13% for Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 0.5% for E. coli . The excellent antibacterial activity is mainly attributed to the formation of PL-DOSS nanoparticles that are uniformly dispersed in the TPU matrix with a size of ∼100 nm. TPU- x composite films exhibit long-term stability in saline and good biocompatibility, and retain mechanical properties of TPU.