SmartStich: A pH-Responsive Antimicrobial Suture for Targeted Post-Surgical Infection Control

SmartStich: A pH-Responsive Antimicrobial Suture for Targeted Post-Surgical Infection Control | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 7 October 2025 V1 Latest version Share on SmartStich: A pH-Responsive Antimicrobial Suture for Targeted Post-Surgical Infection Control Author : Ajayram Sundararajan 0009-0004-3201-587X [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175986128.82563259/v1 209 views 98 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a leading cause of postoperative complications worldwide, accounting for significant morbidity, extended hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. Conventional sutures passively serve as mechanical closures, offering no protection against infection and often failing to adapt to the biochemical environment of healing tissue. This study presents SmartStich, a computationally tested suture material designed to respond dynamically to infection-prone environments by releasing antibiotics in response to acidic pH. Using a combination of polymer degradation modeling, drug release kinetics, tensile strength simulations, and antibacterial efficacy predictions, this work evaluates the feasibility of SmartStich as a next-generation suture. The system was designed using poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) as the biodegradable backbone, ciprofloxacin as the antibiotic payload, and a hydrazone linker as the pH-sensitive trigger. Computational models were implemented using COMSOL Multiphysics (v6.0), MATLAB (R2023b), and Python 3.10, simulating degradation under neutral and acidic conditions, release kinetics based on Fickian diffusion and Higuchi/Korsmeyer-Peppas models, and tensile strength retention under progressive hydrolysis. Results indicate accelerated degradation and drug release under acidic conditions, consistent antibacterial activity above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and mechanical stability comparable to conventional sutures during the critical wound healing period. These findings suggest SmartStich has potential as a highly adaptive, infection-responsive material. Beyond demonstrating computational feasibility, this study highlights the transformative role of smart biomaterials in reducing SSI rates and outlines how simulation pipelines can accelerate the development of personalized biomedical devices. Supplementary Material File (smart stitch manuscript.pdf) Download 955.12 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 07 October 2025 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords antibacterial efficacy ciprofloxacin drug release kinetics ph-responsive sutures plga surgical site infections (ssis) Authors Affiliations Ajayram Sundararajan 0009-0004-3201-587X [email protected] View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 209 views 98 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Ajayram Sundararajan. SmartStich: A pH-Responsive Antimicrobial Suture for Targeted Post-Surgical Infection Control. Authorea . 07 October 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.175986128.82563259/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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