Temperature-sensitive liposomal ciprofloxacin for the treatment of biofilm on infected metal implants using alternating magnetic fields

AbstractImplants are commonly used as a replacement for damaged tissue. Many implants, such as pacemakers, chronic electrode implants, bone screws, and prosthetic joints, are made of or contain metal. Infections are one of the difficult to treat complications associated with metal implants due to the formation of biofilm, a thick aggregate of extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) produced by the bacteria. In this study, we treated a metal prosthesis infection model using a combination of ciprofloxacin-loaded temperature-sensitive liposomes (TSL) and alternating magnetic fields (AMF). AMF heating is used to disrupt the biofilm and release the ciprofloxacin-loaded TSL. The three main objectives of this study were to (1) investigate low- and high-temperature-sensitive liposomes (LTSLs and HTSLs) containing the antimicrobial agent ciprofloxacinfor temperature-mediated antibiotic release, (2) characterise in vitro ciprofloxacinrelease and stability and (3) study the efficacy of combining liposomal ciprofl...