Non-absorbable suture with nanotechnological finishing with antimicrobial properties

• Grant number: 21/12114-7
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: March 01, 2022
• End date: February 29, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Agreement: SEBRAE-SP
• Principal Investigator: Guilherme Carvalho Tremiliosi
• Grantee: Guilherme Carvalho Tremiliosi
• Company: Toviesur Química Ltda
• CNAE: Comércio atacadista de instrumentos e materiais para uso médico, cirúrgico, ortopédico e odontológico ; Testes e análises técnicas ; Pesquisa e desenvolvimento experimental em ciências físicas e naturais
• City: São Carlos
• Associated research grant(s): 21/14933-5 - Non-absorbable suture with nanotechnological finishing with antimicrobial properties, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/01481-1 - Non-absorbable suture with nanotechnological finishing with antimicrobial properties, BP.PIPE

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 14% of patients hospitalized in Brazil contract some type of hospital infection, also called nosocomial infection, which is one of the causes that most result in deaths in health services worldwide, due to high risk of exposure to harmful agents and spread of disease. But these Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAIs) are declining after the widespread and forced introduction of guidelines by competent bodies, particularly those addressing antibiotic resistant pathogens, but the same reduction is not seen in incidence of surgical site infection (SSI - from the English term Surgical Site Infection) despite all adopted procedures. SSI is one of the HCAIs, which are preventable complications of a surgical patient's course through nosocomial care. The resistance shown by many microorganisms to conventional antibiotics has stimulated interest in alternative antimicrobial agents and new approaches to infection prevention. Silver, a natural broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent, has been widely used in the biomedical field due to its recognized antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. In this project, non-absorbable surgical sutures with antimicrobial properties, additivated with silver nanoparticles, will be developed through the exhaustion impregnation process. The sutures developed will have their properties validated by tests in internal and external laboratories, following international standards, and UV/Vis radiation spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and atomic force electron microscopy (AFM) tests will be carried out in order to characterize and investigate the presence and distribution of silver in the sutures. The amounts of silver deposited and released by silver-treated sutures will be calculated using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The microbiological properties and potential cytotoxicity of silver-treated suture threads will be investigated in relation to international standards ASTM E2149 and ISO 10993 respectively, in order to determine the effect of duration of antimicrobial properties and biocompatibility. The mechanical properties of the sutures will also be evaluated in order to determine the effect of additive silver nanoparticles on this requirement. With the development of functional suture threads, dopped with nano-structured antimicrobial technology, we hope to generate the benefit of preventing possible surgical site infections (SSI) and thus contribute to reducing a health burden with significant morbidity and mortality, in addition to the possible reduction in the number of post-surgical procedures, and cost reduction for the health system due to the infections. Thus, we hope to actively contribute to a growth in the participation of the national industry, especially in the hospital medical sector, through high differentiation in functional and technological products. (AU)