Antimicrobial Activity Study of New Samples of Polymeric Surgical Membranes

Background Currently, the increasing resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobial drugs reduces the effectiveness of the treatment for purulent-inflammatory processes. In this regard, innovative strategies and products based on polymer materials for local application are required in order to prevent or reduce the risk of surgical site infections.

The aim of the study was to compare the antimicrobial activity of new samples of polymer surgical membranes developed by the authors in an in vitro experiment.

Material and methods The study materials used were new samples of multicomponent polymer membranes developed on the basis of the laboratory of experimental surgery and oncology of the Kursk State Medical University (5 groups differing in the addition/absence of antibacterial agents), and the ElastoPOB® implantable biopolymer membrane (manufactured by BIOMIR Servis JSC, Russia). Inhibition of growth zones of test strains of aerobic and facultative-aerobic microorganisms was evaluated. The data obtained during the study were statistically processed using descriptive and variational statistics (Me [25; 75]). Significance was determined by the Kruskal-Wallis test (p≤0.05).

Results The most pronounced antimicrobial activity, inhibiting the growth of all five microbial cultures, was observed in the study of polymer membranes No. 4 (Levofloxacin in the 3rd layer) and No. 2 (Levofloxacin in the 1st layer). Statistically significant differences were found when comparing microbial growth inhibition zones among the following study groups: No. 1 and No. 2 (p=0.009), No. 1 and No. 4 (p=0.0001), No. 2 and No. 5 (p=0.043), No. 2 and No. 6 (p=0.0001), No. 3 and No. 6 (p=0.002).

Conclusion The study demonstrated that the new polymer membrane samples clearly exhibit antimicrobial activity. This is explained by the fact that sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (Na-CMC), which forms the basis of surgical polymer membranes, itself possesses some antimicrobial activity. At the same time, the addition of a broad-spectrum antibiotic during the polymer membrane manufacturing process to the base (third) or surface (first) layer will determine the intensity of local antimicrobial action (slowing down culture growth).

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