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. 2023 Mar 1;15(5):1259.
doi: 10.3390/polym15051259.

Imidazolium Salts for Candida spp. Antibiofilm High-Density Polyethylene-Based Biomaterials

Clarissa Martins Leal Schrekker  1 , Yuri Clemente Andrade Sokolovicz  2 , Maria Grazia Raucci  3 , Claudio Alberto Martins Leal  2 , Luigi Ambrosio  3 , Mário Lettieri Teixeira  4 , Alexandre Meneghello Fuentefria  1   5 , Henri Stephan Schrekker  2
Affiliations

Imidazolium Salts for Candida spp. Antibiofilm High-Density Polyethylene-Based Biomaterials

Clarissa Martins Leal Schrekker et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

The species of Candida present good capability to form fungal biofilms on polymeric surfaces and are related to several human diseases since many of the employed medical devices are designed using polymers, especially high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Herein, HDPE films containing 0; 0.125; 0.250 or 0.500 wt% of 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C16MImCl) or its analog 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazolium methanesulfonate (C16MImMeS) were obtained by melt blending and posteriorly mechanically pressurized into films. This approach resulted in more flexible and less brittle films, which impeded the Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis, and C. tropicalis biofilm formation on their surfaces. The employed imidazolium salt (IS) concentrations did not present any significant cytotoxic effect, and the good cell adhesion/proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells on the HDPE-IS films indicated good biocompatibility. These outcomes combined with the absence of microscopic lesions in pig skin after contact with HDPE-IS films demonstrated their potential as biomaterials for the development of effective medical device tools that reduce the risk of fungal infections.

Keywords: biocompatibility; histopathological evaluation; human mesenchymal stem cells; ionic liquid; melt blending.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
ISs C16MImCl and C16MImMeS applied in this study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
SEM micrographs of (A) HDPE, (B) HDPE.Cl.0500, and (C) HDPE.MeS.0500 (scale bar = 1 μm).
Figure 3
Figure 3
AFM images of HDPE, HDPE.Cl.0500, and HDPE.MeS.0500 (Ra = arithmetic mean roughness).
Figure 4
Figure 4
XRD diffractograms (a.u. = arbitrary units) within the 2θ range of (A) 15–25°, HDPE (black line), HDPE.Cl.0125 (red line), HDPE.Cl.0250 (blue line), and HDPE.Cl.0500 (green line) and (B) HDPE (black line), HDPE.MeS.0125 (red line), HDPE.MeS.0250 (blue line), and HDPE.MeS.0500 (green line).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Water contact angles for HDPE films related to the IS content: HDPE (blue ▼), HDPE.Cl (black ◼), and HDPE.MeS (red ⬤).
Figure 6
Figure 6
In vitro minor antibiofilm concentration assay: impediment percentage for HDPE.Cl.0125 (blue bars), HDPE.Cl.0250 (red bars), and HDPE.Cl.0500 (green bars).
Figure 7
Figure 7
In vitro minor antibiofilm concentration assay: impediment percentage for HDPE.MeS.0125 (blue bars), HDPE.MeS.0250 (red bars), and HDPE.MeS.0500 (green bars).
Figure 8
Figure 8
SEM micrographs of (A) HDPE (scale bar = 100 μm), (B) HDPE (scale bar = 100 μm), (C) HDPE (scale bar = 10 μm), (D) HDPE (scale bar = 2 μm), (E) HDPE.Cl.0500 (scale bar = 100 μm), (F) HDPE.Cl.0500 (scale bar = 2 μm), (G) HDPE.MeS.0500 (scale bar = 100 μm) and (H) HDPE.MeS.0500 (scale bar = 2 μm), after undergoing biofilm growth conditions.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Confocal micrographs of hMSC grown on (A) HDPE, (B) HDPE.Cl.0125, (C) HDPE.Cl.0250, (D) HDPE.Cl.0500, (E) HDPE.MeS.0125, (F) HDPE.MeS.0250, and (G) HDPE.MeS.0500 (scale bar = 100 μm).
Figure 10
Figure 10
(A) hMSC adhesion after 48 h of incubation time and (B) hMSC proliferation at 4, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days of culture time.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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