Bioinspired phenol-based coatings for medical fabrics against antimicrobial resistance

Multi-resistant pathogens can cause several nosocomial infections that can harm hospital interventions or undermine biological processes. In this scenario, the development of novel and efficient antimicrobial materials is essential for reducing pathogen spread. Though many approaches have been followed with this aim, scalability, safety, and efficiency concerns still hamper their clinical transfer. In this work, we overcome these limitations by co-polymerizing phenolic derivatives with amino-terminal ligands. The resulting coatings are successfully applied to woven and non-woven-based materials used in healthcare: paper, cotton and polypropylene. Moreover, the coatings demonstrate multi-pathway antimicrobial activity against six bacteria (E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, E. faecalis, and B. subtilis) and two fungi (C. albicans and C. auris), a fact attributed to i) reactive oxygen species generation over time and ii) protic amino groups exposed on the surface. After 180 min, viable bacteria are reduced by more than 99.9 %, with a comparable decline in fungi after 24 h. As a proof-of-concept, coated commercial band-aids tested on skin ex vivo reduced bacterial growth by about 90 %. Considering these results and long-lasting, in vitro biocompatibility, scalability and eco-friendly technology, these coatings represent a promising alternative to be applied in healthcare environments, avoiding pathogen spread, infections and antimicrobial resistance.