Fabrication of photocurable zwitterionic polymer coatings with enhanced antifouling and lubrication properties for urinary catheter applications

Urinary catheters necessitate a surface with antifouling and lubricating properties in order to mitigate bacterial infection, calculus formation, and tissue trauma. Hydrophilic coating is a promising strategy but suffers from the complications of the manufacturing method as well as the lack of longevity. Herein, we report an antifouling and lubricating hydrophilic coating based on zwitterionic copolymer poly(2-Methacryloyloxyethyl phosphatidylcholine-co-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-(Benzoyl)phenyl methacrylate (poly(MPC-co-HEMA-co-BP)) through pre-gel solution spin-coating followed by UV-curing. The poly(MPC-co-HEMA-co-BP (PMHB) coatings possess hygroscopic properties that facilitate the formation of a hydrated layer, thereby leading to friction reduction. Moreover, both antibacterial and protein resistance tests substantiate the exceptional antifouling characteristics exhibited by the PMHB coating. Furthermore, after 7 days of coincubation, the antibacterial rates of PMHB coatings against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis) are 72.98 %, 75.11 %, and 88.23 %, respectively. Subsequently, PMHB coating reduced the attachment of encrustation in a 7 days artificial urine cycling experiment. This study brings new perspective on designing urinary catheter surfaces with lubricating and antifouling properties.