Abstract
The dual threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) have emphasized the urgent need for self-disinfecting materials for infection control. Despite their highly potent antimicrobial activity, the adoption of photoactive materials to reduce infection transmission in hospitals and related healthcare facilities has been severely hampered by the lack of scalable and cost-effective manufacturing, in which case high-volume production methods for fabricating aPDI-based materials are needed. To address this issue here, we examined the antimicrobial efficacy of a simple bicomponent spray coating composed of the commercially-available UV-photocrosslinkable polymer N-methyl-4(4'-formyl-styryl)pyridinium methosulfate acetal poly(vinyl alcohol) (SbQ-PVA) and one of three aPDI photosensitizers (PSs): zinc-tetra(4-N-methylpyridyl)porphine (ZnTMPyP4+), methylene blue (MB), and Rose Bengal (RB). We applied these photodynamic coatings, collectively termed SbQ-PVA/PS, to a variety of commercially available materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) confirmed the successful application of the coatings, while inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) revealed a photosensitizer loading of 0.09-0.78 nmol PS/mg material. The antimicrobial efficacy of the coated materials was evaluated against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus ATCC-29213 and human coronavirus strain HCoV-229E. Upon illumination with visible light (60 min, 400-700 nm, 65 ± 5 mW/cm2), the coated materials inactivated S. aureus by 97-99.999% and HCoV-229E by 92-99.999%, depending on the material and PS employed. Photobleaching studies employing HCoV-229E demonstrated detection limit inactivation (99.999%) even after exposure for 4 weeks to indoor ambient room lighting. Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential for photodynamic SbQ-PVA/PS coatings to be universally applied to a wide range of materials for effectively reducing pathogen transmission.
Highlights
As one of the most catastrophic health crises in modern history, the global COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus has pummeled strong national economies, imposed unprecedented social restrictions and, above all else, claimed over 3.8 million lives worldwide at the time of this writing [1]
Can the SbQ-PVA/PS photodynamic coating be applied to a variety of commercially available materials, can other commercially available photosensitizers be employed in addition to ZnTMPyP4+, and what is the longevity of these photodynamic materials when exposed to ambient room light for prolonged periods of time? To address these and other questions, we present here results expanding the application of this facile coating procedure to a wider variety of commercially available materials
Two separate “sealant” coats were applied utilizing SbQ-PVA alone: the first by spray coating to ensure the photosensitizer was fully embedded within the polymer matrix to prevent PS leaching, and the second by dip coating after samples were cut to size to further seal the fibers from possible damage incurred during specimen trimming
Summary
As one of the most catastrophic health crises in modern history, the global COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus has pummeled strong national economies, imposed unprecedented social restrictions and, above all else, claimed over 3.8 million lives worldwide (with over 600,000 dead in the U.S alone) at the time of this writing [1]. Recent studies by Munster et al [2] have demonstrated, that the virus remains stable on several surfaces for long periods of time (up to 2-3 days on stainless steel and unspecified plastic), whereas Chin et al [3] have measured even longer stability times, including 7 days on surgical masks These results indicate that SARS-CoV-2 may spread by direct contact with contaminated surfaces, including PPE, which is worrisome considering how readily the pathogen spreads within hospitals and related healthcare settings. In particular, highlight the need for inherently antimicrobial materials to prevent pathogen transmission, either directly or indirectly, between the hospital environment, patients and healthcare workers [8,9,10]
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