Hospital-acquired infections are a growing concern for medical institutes world-wide. Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) are among the most common medical devices associated with bacterial infections. In light of the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance, innovative solutions are essential. In the current study, the antibiofilm properties of Zn-doped CuO nanoparticles were examined via their deposition on urinary catheters using the sonochemical method. The ZnCuO coated catheters showed high antibiofilm activity, reducing the biofilm for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, compared to uncoated catheters using a laboratory flow cell system. The biocompatibility of the coated catheters was also evaluated and showed no induction of cytokine secretion and no irritating effect. Furthermore, in an in vivo study using a rabbit model, rabbits were catheterized with uncoated catheters and scored positive for UTI (>105 cell/ml of urine) by the fourth day. The ZnCuO coated catheters postponed the UTI infection to day 7 (for two coated catheters) and two coated catheters remained completely uninfected during the entire duration of the study (7 days). Examinations yielded no statistically significant differences in mean group hematology and biochemistry values observed among the coated catheter group versus the uncoated catheter animals. Moreover histopathological findings from excised urinary bladders showed that ZnCuO coating was not associated with irritation, inflammation and/or ulceration, as compared to the group exposed to the uncoated catheter. Taken together, the results of the current study highlight the potential to use ZnCuO nanoparticles as an affective antibiofilm coating for urinary catheters.
