Natural Macromolecule‐Based Lubricative Catheter Coatings with Sustained Adaptive Antibacterial Property for Encrustation and Infection Prevention

Abstract Catheter‐associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) are a global health burden. Moreover, the friction during urinary catheter placement also induces pain in patients. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop effective antibacterial and lubricative coatings on the surface of urinary catheter. In this work, a facile volatilization film‐forming method is used to construct coatings on catheter surfaces. Xanthan gum (SR), which has good lubricative and antifouling properties, is oxidized to cross‐link with multi‐amino compounds, gentamicin (GS), and gelatin, to fabricate uniform coatings on silicone catheters (SR‐GXGs). The structures of SR‐GXGs are regulated by the components of the film formation solutions. The bacterial metabolism can produce an acidic micro‐environment that can regulate GS release to achieve on‐demand administration. SR‐GXG2 can eliminate 99.99% of common pathogenic bacteria and reduce the dynamic friction coefficient by 98.73%, and showed high stability in a 7‐day flowing experiment. In addition, the universality of this method is demonstrated on various kinds of matrices with different shapes, including commercial urethral catheters. In vivo, SR‐GXG2 can effectively avoid urinary tract injury and encrustation phenomenon because of its good anti‐infection, antifouling, and lubricative properties. This work provides a promising strategy for developing multifunctional antibacterial coatings on medical catheters.