Published online Jun 18, 2022. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v13.i6.578
Peer-review started: December 25, 2021
First decision: March 7, 2022
Revised: March 20, 2022
Accepted: May 22, 2022
Article in press: May 22, 2022
Published online: June 18, 2022
Processing time: 173 Days and 16.5 Hours
Orthopedic implant-related infection remains one of the most serious complications after orthopedic surgery. In recent years, there has been an increased scientific interest to improve prevention and treatment strategies. Many of these strategies have focused on chemical measures to reduce and treat infections.
Our study group has been developing novel strategies for the treatment and prevention of orthopedic implant-related infections. These have been focused on the application of electrical currents to surface metals in the presence of bacteria to prevent adhesion and disrupt biofilm formation.
The objective of our study was to analyze the effect of alternating current electrical fields on bacterial adherence to a titanium surface for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Using a self-designed 12-well culture plate, we analyzed the potential effect of electrical currents in reducing bacterial adhesion to a titanium metal surface. Gram-positive bacteria, represented by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and gram-negative bacteria, represented by Escherichia coli (E. coli), were exposed to 6.5 V electrical currents at different frequencies: 0.5 Hz, 0.1 Hz, and 0.05 Hz. After exposure, colony-forming units per milliliter were counted and compared to a control without exposure to electrical currents.
The most effective electrical model for reducing S. aureus adhesion was 6.5 V alternating current at 0.05 Hz achieving a 90% adhesion reduction rate. For E. coli, the 0.05 Hz frequency model also showed the most effective results with a 53% adhesion reduction rate, although these were significantly lower than S. aureus.
Our results demonstrate electrical fields may have promising applications in preventing bacterial adhesion to titanium metal surfaces. However, the presence of electrolysis and electrode oxidation lead us to presume these conditions may not be optimal for in vivo use.
Further research using other electrical conditions must be examined to consider their use for in vivo trials.