Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Prosthetic Joint Infection (PJI) is a serious and potentially fatal consequence of total joint arthroplasty that is primarily due to the formation of bacterial biofilms on surgical orthopedic implants. Such orthopedic infections often face antibiotic resistance; therefore, novel antimicrobial substances are in demand to combat the biofilm-associated infections in orthopedic implants. This study investigated the potential of AgNPs-AMP conjugate coated implants in combating micro-organisms responsible for biofilm formation on orthopedic joint implants causing PJI. METHODS: Green synthesized AgNPs from leaf extracts were conjugated with the AMP extracted from the Bellamya bengalensis, which was characterized using UV Spectroscopy, zeta potential. The antibacterial activity of the AgNPs, AMP and AgNPs-AMP conjugate were assessed using the Well diffusion method. The effect of biofilm formation and inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis on the ½ MIC, 1X MIC, and 2X MIC were investigated using agar diffusion test. In addition, MTT assay was performed to determine the cytotoxic effects of AMP-AgNPs conjugate on the L929 cell line. RESULTS: The UV Vis spectroscopy and zeta potential confirmed the synthesis of AgNPs, as well as the conjugation of AMP with AgNPs. The AMP-AgNPs revealed their significant bactericidal potential against the S. aureus, and S. epidermidis, with the antibacterial testing. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of biofilm inhibition revealed that all the tested concentrations of AMP-AgNPs conjugate (½ MIC, 1X MIC, and 2X MIC) effectively inhibited the biofilm formation of S. aureus and S. epidermidis. DISCUSSION: It was concluded that the treatment of different concentrations of AMP-AgNPs did not influence the cell viability of the L929 cells. This study demonstrated that the AgNPs-AMP can be coated with orthopedic implants to prevent biofilm formation on orthopedic joint implants.