Antiadhesive and antimicrobial implants for visceral surgery prepared by cold atmospheric plasma and electrospinning – CAPSPIN

Postoperative adhesions are a significant health issue with major implications on quality of life and health care expenses. In particular, intra-abdominal adhesions arise after 50 to 100% of all abdominal operations, within the 12 months after any type of surgery. The severe consequences of these postoperative adhesions stand in stark contrast to the low level of awareness and knowledge among doctors and their cost is estimated in France between 60 and 600 million € per year. Adhesions may also be coupled to other side effects such as infections, which result in additional treatments and delay patient's recovery. It is then necessary to design anti-adhesive and antimicrobial implants that will be active directly on the surgical site for an extended period. Polypropylene is widely used as implant in the visceral field thanks to its mechanical strength and its biostability, but its inert surface requires functionalisation to become active.
The aim of CAPSPIN project is thus to combine and optimise through experimental design two eco-friendly processes for the elaboration of antiadhesive and antimicrobial biodegradable nanofibres coated onto intraperitoneal polypropylene implants. Electrospinning process is an innovative process used to produce biodegradable monolithic and core-sheath nanofibres. Atmospheric cold plasma technology is used for the activation and functionalisation of different polymeric substrates at the extreme surface only.
Two pathways will be followed. The first one, in two steps, will first consist in the deposition of biodegradable nanofibres onto polypropylene implants through the electrospinning technique. Then, two bioactive monomers (anti-adhesive and antimicrobial ones) will be grafted and polymerised onto nanofibres coated implants, thanks to cold atmospheric plasma process. The second pathway, in one step, will consist in the deposition of core-sheath nanofibres onto polypropylene implants through co-axial electrospinning, with biodegradable polymer as core and anti-adhesive and/or antimicrobial polymer as sheath.
The bioactive monomers/polymers will also be in a second phase grafted separately on each side of the implant, in order to elaborate a bifacial bioactive implant.
The chemical, physical and mechanical properties of all biomaterials designed will be fully studied through adequate characterization techniques according to the aimed visceral application. The keys to further industrialisation procedure, i.e. in vitro and in vivo stability of the coatings as well as biological activity of the implants will also be evaluated.