Poly(hexamethylene biguanide) immobilized non-absorbable and antimicrobial PET fiber for surgical suture applications: synthesis, characterization and in vitro cytocompatibility assessment

Surgical sutures are widely utilized medical devices for the purpose of closing wounds after surgical interventions. During surgical procedures, sutures can come into contact with microorganisms in the surrounding environment, leading to the development of bacterial biofilms and subsequent surgical site infections (SSI). Therefore, the use of sutures that prevent bacterial attachment and colonization is very important in wound healing. Antimicrobial sutures coated with antiseptics such as triclosan and chlorhexidine have been used to minimize SSI formation. However, due to the emergence of bacterial strains resistant to various antiseptics and antibiotics, new approaches to the development of alternative antimicrobial sutures are required. Among antimicrobial agents, polyhexanide (polyhexamethylene biguanide, PHMB) is a cationic antiseptic with broad spectrum antibacterial and antifungal activity, low toxicity and biocompatible. The aim of this study was to synthesize PHMB immobilized polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers for use as surgical suture threads. The synthesized modified PET fibers were characterized by SEM, FTIR, DSC and TGA. In addition, the wettability and in vitro degradation profile of the modified PET fibers were investigated. S. aureus and E. coli bacterial strains were used for antimicrobial activity tests. In vitro cytocompatibility (cytotoxicity) of the materials was evaluated by MTT test according to TS EN ISO 10993-5 standard.