Fighting with the
infection is one of the most challenging and costly burdens of the healthcare system. Several types of
antibiotics and
antibacterial agents have been designed and used in combating this dilemma. Nevertheless, the overuse of drugs and the difficulties of proper delivery have led to the development of drug-resistance in many species of bacteria which has reduced the efficacy of
antibiotics. Furthermore, localized delivery of these drugs can be more effective in eliminating
biomaterial surface-associated
infection compared to systemic administration. This type of
infection occurs mostly by the formation of a bacterial biofilm layer on the surface of the implantable
biomaterial which is the interface between the
biomaterial and the tissue. Sharkskin topography is known for its antibacterial properties due to its unique pattern. Herein, antibacterial properties and drug release potentials of sharkskin mimicked
chitosan membranes are investigated with the aim of studying the impact of this topography in reducing bacterial biofilm formation on
drug-loaded polymeric membranes.
Ampicillin sodium salt and
caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) loaded
chitosan (CH) membranes were fabricated. Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria strain is used in antibacterial experiments, and human dermal fibroblast (HDFa) and keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells were used as model cell lines in cytocompatibility tests. Drug release, bacterial biofilm growth, and swelling ratio test results show the superiority of sharkskin topography in controlling the rate of drug release as well as considerably reducing bacterial biofilm formation. Furthermore, it was established that 2.5 mg mL-1
Amp content along with 500 μM CAPE yield in maximum antibacterial effect while not having cytotoxic effects on mammalian cells. Fabricated sharkskin mimicked
drug-loaded membrane, which utilizes the combination of antibacterial compounds and antibacterial surface topography, also acts as an effective carrier for high concentrations of drugs.