The efficacy of cold atmospheric plasma deposited antibiotics on titanium surfaces and their elution liquids against Staphylococcus Aureus growth over time.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) was used to deposit antibiotics, penicillin, and ciprofloxacin, separately onto titanium coupons. The antibiotic coating parameters were varied using a design of experiment software which factored in plasma power, bacterial and antibiotic load. The antimicrobial activity of the plasma deposited antibiotics was benchmarked against conventional spray coated materials and the effect of the plasma exposure is discussed. The deposited antibiotics were characterized using various surface analysis and microbiological techniques. It was found that the antibiotics were not degraded and retained antibiotic activity against planktonic Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. However, the presence of the plasma during coating did alter the elution profile of the antibiotics and helped prolong the activity of the antibiotics on the metal surface. This study may contribute to the development of novel implant coating procedures that can offer prolonged antimicrobial protection.