RESUMEN

Photochemical processes offer the possibility of preparing functional hydrogels under green conditions that are compatible with both synthetic and natural polymers. In this study, chitosan-based poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG) were successfully synthesized under light irradiation in aqueous medium. Kinetic studies under irradiation showed that less than 2 min were necessary to obtain fully cross-linked networks. Thermomechanical analyses and swelling experiments indicated that introduction of chitosan overall weakens the hydrogel network but can create domains of higher thermal stability than the PEG-alone structure. The resulting chitosan-PEG hydrogels demonstrated a tremendous inhibition (100%) of bacterial growth (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). After 6 months' ageing, one of the hydrogels preserved a high antifouling activity against Escherichia coli. This interesting result, which could be correlated with the network features, demonstrates the strong potential of these photochemical methods to obtain robust bio-functional materials.

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RESUMEN

Nosocomial infections are often induced by the presence of pathogenic organisms on the surface of medical devices or hospital equipment. Chemical modifications of the surface are recognized as efficient strategies to prevent bacterial adhesion but they may have a negative impact on the material's interaction with living tissues. Here we have developed a photoactivated method for the modification of titanium substrates. A photoinduced technique employing a grafting-onto process has been successfully performed to covalently anchor an imidazolium-derivative siloxane onto titanium surfaces. Imidazolium surfaces showed higher bacteria-repellency performances than native titanium substrates, achieving more than 98% anti-adhesion efficiency against Escherichia coli after 24 h of incubation. In addition, these surfaces allowed for the adhesion and viability of osteoblasts cells without evidence of cytotoxicity.

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Polymer coatings exhibiting photodynamic bacterial inactivation properties have been successfully engineered. Such coatings were obtained by photoinduced crosslinking of a PEG-diacrylate monomer associated with the eosin Y dye which was used as both a radical photoinitiator and an antibacterial agent. A dual curing process was followed by combining compatible and solvent-free polymerization mechanisms, i.e. Aza-Michael reaction and free-radical polymerization in the presence of amines. The kinetics evolution of the photopolymerization process was followed using in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, allowing for the elucidation of the underlying mechanistic pathways. The influence of eosin Y and amines on the thermal and mechanical properties of the films was evidenced and discussed in terms of crosslinking chemistry. The antibacterial properties of the coatings against two different strains (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) were evaluated on short and long terms, revealing that eosin confers both photodynamic inactivation and antimicrobial properties to the films. These coatings are therefore particularly promising for disposable medical devices.

RESUMEN

A novel straightforward approach has been proposed to generate in situ, under light activation and in aerated media, visible-light absorbing and well-defined titanium-based nanoparticles (NPs) in solution and in an epoxide matrix using titanium derivative complexes/iodonium salt photoinitiating systems. The nature of the solvent and oxygen plays a decisive role, and two mechanisms involved in these syntheses are operative, i.e. a photofragmentation/addition process (in toluene and isopropanol) and a photoinduced sol-gel reaction (in isopropanol).

RESUMEN

A green photoinduced method for the modification of a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBHV) has been successfully carried out using two types of monomers with potential antibacterial effects, i.e., 2-[(methacryloyloxy)-ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride (META) and an ampicillin-derived monomer. The photografting process is conducted through a photoinduced free-radical process employing a thiocarbamate-based photoinitiator in an aqueous medium. Under appropriate conditions, radicals are generated from the PHBHV surface, thus initiating the UV-mediated photopolymerization of methacrylate or methylacrylamide-derived monomers from the surface of PHBHV films. The photochemical mechanism of the thiocarbamate photolysis is entirely described by the electron spin resonance/spin-trapping technique and laser flash photolysis, and the modified-PHBHV films are extensively characterized by fluorescence experiments, water contact angle, and XPS measurements. Finally, a primary investigation is conducted to support the antibacterial property of the new functionalized films against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, and their cytocompatibility with NIH-3T3 fibroblastic cells is evaluated.