A novel biodegradable ureteral stent with antibacterial ability to inhibit biofilm formation

Biodegradability and surface modification such as hydrophilicity have been crucial for the design of materials for ureteral stents in recent years. To satisfy the above properties, more work has focused on imparting more functionalities, such as antibacterial properties, to the material. In this work, the influence and antibacterial effect of modification by blending with poly(l-lactide-co-5-amino-1,3-dioxan-2-one) (P(LA-co-AC)) on the structure and properties of poly(l-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) (PLACL) were investigated. Modified biodegradable PLACL was confirmed to have good hydrophilicity which can resist protein adhesion, good biocompatibility and excellent antibacterial ability, which could not only inhibit bacterial biofilm formation but also kill free bacteria in the substrate. The tensile strength, anti-protein fouling and antibacterial properties were improved with the weight percentage of P(LA-co-AC), while the degradation rate of the PLACL substrate was accelerated. This work provides a new method to surmount the problems faced by urological surgery which comply with the future trend in biodegradable ureteral stent design.