Abstract
The continuous rising of infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens is becoming a global healthcare concern. Developing new bio-based materials with unique chemical and structural features that allow efficient interaction with bacteria is thus important for fighting this phenomenon. To address this issue, we report an antimicrobial biomaterial that results from clustering local facial amphiphilicity from amino-modified cellulose on silk fibroin β-sheets, by simply blending the two components through casting technology. A simple but effective method for creating a membrane that is antibacterial and non-cytotoxic. Amino-modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNC-NH2) were mixed with proteinaceous silk fibroin (SF) which resulted in a material with improved crystallinity, higher β-sheet content, and exposed amino-groups at its surface features, proven by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), that does not occur when the components are individually assembled. The resulting material possesses important antibacterial activity inducing >3 CFU log10 reduction of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis, while the pristine membranes show no antibacterial effect. The chemical interactions occurring between SF and CNC-NH2 during casting, exposing the amino moieties at the surface of the material, are proposed as the main reason for this antimicrobial activity. Importantly, the membranes are non-cytotoxic, showing their potential to be used as a new bioinspired material with intrinsic antibacterial activity for biomedical applications. Those may include coatings for medical devices for the control of healthcare-associated infections, with no need for including external antimicrobial agents in the material.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.