Electrosprayed zein nanoparticles as antibacterial and anti-thrombotic coatings for ureteral stents.

Ureteral stents are among the most frequently used human implants, with urothelium trauma, blood clots, and bacterial colonization being their main reasons for failure. In this study, berberine-loaded zein (ZB) nanoparticles with high drug encapsulation efficiency (>90 %) were fabricated via electrospray on flat and 3D stainless steel structures. Physico-chemical characterization revealed that the ZB nanoparticles created a highly hydrophilic, antioxidant, and scratch-resistant continuous coating over the metal structure. Results showed that the drug release rate was faster at neutral pH (i.e., PBS pH 7.4) than in an artificial urine medium (pH 5.3) due to the different swelling behavior of the zein polymeric matrix. In vitro evaluation of ZB particles onto human dermal fibroblasts and blood cells demonstrated good cell proliferation and enhanced anti-thrombotic properties compared to bare stainless steel. The ability of the electrosprayed zein particles to resist bacterial adherence and proliferation was evaluated with Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria, showing high inhibition rates (-29 % and -46 % for empty and berberine-loaded particles, respectively) compared to the medical-grade metal substrates. Overall, the proposed composite coating fulfilled the requirements for ureteral applications, and can advance the development of innovative biocompatible, biodegradable, and antibacterial coatings for drug-eluting stents.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)