Abstract
Due to its slow degradation rate, polycaprolactone (PCL) is frequently used in biomedical applications. This study deals with the development of antibacterial nanofibers based on PCL and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). Thanks to a combination with HNTs, the prepared nanofibers can be used as low-cost nanocontainers for the encapsulation of a wide variety of substances, including drugs, enzymes, and DNA. In our work, HNTs were used as a nanocarrier for erythromycin (ERY) as a model antibacterial active compound with a wide range of antibacterial activity. Nanofibers based on PCL and HNT/ERY were prepared by electrospinning. The antibacterial activity was evaluated as a sterile zone of inhibition around the PCL nanofibers containing 7.0 wt.% HNT/ERY. The morphology was observed with SEM and TEM. The efficiency of HNT/ERY loading was evaluated with thermogravimetric analysis. It was found that the nanofibers exhibited outstanding antibacterial properties and inhibited both Gram- (Escherichia coli) and Gram+ (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Moreover, a significant enhancement of mechanical properties was achieved. The potential uses of antibacterial, environmentally friendly, nontoxic, biodegradable PCL/HNT/ERY nanofiber materials are mainly in tissue engineering, wound healing, the prevention of bacterial infections, and other biomedical applications.
Highlights
Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are natural, nontoxic, biocompatible, eco-friendly, and low-cost materials recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as nanomaterials (EPA 4)
The most significant advantages of HNTs compared to other tubular silicates are that they present a unique combination of structure, natural availability, rich functionality, good biocompatibility, and cytotoxicity [2,3,6–9]
HNTs were used as a nanocarrier for erythromycin (ERY) as a model antibacterial active compound with wide range of antibacterial activity on both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria
Summary
Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are natural, nontoxic, biocompatible, eco-friendly, and low-cost materials recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as nanomaterials (EPA 4). HNTs play a significant role in drug-carrier systems suitable for different biomedical applications, e.g., tissue engineering [1,2]. Halloysite’s inner diameter fits well to macromolecules and proteins [6] In this regard, drugs of smaller molecular size are typically vacuum-loaded within the inner lumen of the nanotube, and drugs with larger molecular size can attach to the outer surface of the halloysite [17]. Due to its slow degradation rate, PCL is a preferred polymer mainly used as a long-term drug delivery carrier Another advantage of PCL is its compatibility with a wide range of drugs, which provides a homogenous distribution of predominantly lipophilic drugs in the carrier matrix due to its hydrophobic nature [36]. Electrospun nanofibers based on PCL and drug-loaded HNTs were studied. Cheap ERY was chosen as a model substrate for another type of pH-sensitive macrolide antibiotics intensively studied by our group [37]
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