Rifampicin elution from polymer-antibiotic coatings under flow

Abstract— All implanted medical devices experience flow within the body, which influences the release of drugs from drug-loaded surfaces. This study used a flow cell to measure the elution of the antibiotic rifampicin from novel degradable PLGA-rifampicin coatings on stainless steel under static, low (1.6ml/min) and high-flow conditions (128 ml/min), to better understand the effects of flow on release of rifampicin from these coatings. Elutions were conducted into PBS for 24 hours at 37°C. Elution under high flow was significantly different from no flow and low flow conditions (p=0.00), with higher flow causing the drug to elute more readily. Elution under no flow and low flow conditions was not significantly different.
Clinical Relevance— This work furthers the development of relevant in vitro models of drug release, which can accelerate the development of anti-infective medical device coatings.