A stretchable liquid-metal bioelectric catheter for active management of catheter-associated urinary tract infections
6 affiliations
- 1School of Flexible Electronics (SoFE) and State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies (OEMT), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China; Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- 2Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
- 3School of Flexible Electronics (SoFE) and State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies (OEMT), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China; School of Physics, Liaoning University, Shenyang, China
- 4School of Physics, Liaoning University, Shenyang, China; Corresponding author.
- 5Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China; Corresponding author.
- 6School of Flexible Electronics (SoFE) and State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies (OEMT), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China; Advanced Medical Research Institute, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China; Suzhou Research Institute, Shandong University, Suzhou, China; Corresponding author.
Abstract
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) continue to be a major clinical complication of indwelling catheterization, sustained by persistent bacterial colonization and dysregulated local immune responses. Most antimicrobial coatings provide passive protection and have limited capacity to address both bacterial persistence and the host response at the catheter–tissue interface. This study presents a stretchable urological catheter for electrical stimulation (SUCES) based on a liquid metal composite. SUCES consists of a stable gallium-10 vol% silver (Ga-Ag) circuit encapsulated within a silver-doped (5 vol%) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-Ag) layer. SUCES delivers low-voltage electrical stimulation (1.5 V for 5 min) in combination with sustained Ag release, resulting in effective combined antibacterial activity. In vitro testing demonstrates bacterial killing efficiencies of approximately 95% for E. coli and 94% for S. aureus . The same electrical input also promoted an M1-associated macrophage response. In a rabbit CAUTI model, seven days of treatment reduced the viable urinary bacterial burden by 93% (>1-log reduction). SUCES-treated tissues also showed less infection-associated inflammation and better-preserved urothelial barrier integrity. These findings support SUCES as an active bioelectric catheter interface that integrates antibacterial treatment with macrophage-associated immune modulation for catheter-associated infection management.
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BibTeX
@article{zhao2026stretchable,
title = {{A stretchable liquid-metal bioelectric catheter for active management of catheter-associated urinary tract infections}},
author = {Jianyou Zhao and Jizheng Zhang and Longfei Zhang and Xinyu Wang and Yuchao Sun and Dongyue Guo and Jianzhe Li and Zhenming Chu and Yan Li and Guoqiang Li and Benkang Shi},
journal = {Materials Today Bio},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.103764},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.103764},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A stretchable liquid-metal bioelectric catheter for active management of catheter-associated urinary tract infections
AU - Jianyou Zhao
AU - Jizheng Zhang
AU - Longfei Zhang
AU - Xinyu Wang
AU - Yuchao Sun
AU - Dongyue Guo
AU - Jianzhe Li
AU - Zhenming Chu
AU - Yan Li
AU - Guoqiang Li
AU - Benkang Shi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Materials Today Bio
DO - 10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.103764
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2026.103764
AB - Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) continue to be a major clinical complication of indwelling catheterization, sustained by persistent bacterial colonization and dysregulated local immune responses. Most antimicrobial coatings provide passive protection and have limited capacity to address both bacterial persistence and the host response at the catheter–tissue interface. This study presents a stretchable urological catheter for electrical stimulation (SUCES) based on a liquid metal composite. SUCES consists of a stable gallium-10 vol% silver (Ga-Ag) circuit encapsulated within a silver-doped (5 vol%) polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-Ag) layer. SUCES delivers low-voltage electrical stimulation (1.5 V for 5 min) in combination with sustained Ag release, resulting in effective combined antibacterial activity. In vitro testing demonstrates bacterial killing efficiencies of approximately 95% for E. coli and 94% for S. aureus . The same electrical input also promoted an M1-associated macrophage response. In a rabbit CAUTI model, seven days of treatment reduced the viable urinary bacterial burden by 93% (>1-log reduction). SUCES-treated tissues also showed less infection-associated inflammation and better-preserved urothelial barrier integrity. These findings support SUCES as an active bioelectric catheter interface that integrates antibacterial treatment with macrophage-associated immune modulation for catheter-associated infection management.
SN - 2590-0064
ER -