Fabrication of activated carbon fiber functionalized core–shell silver nanoparticles based in situ and low-cost technology for wound dressings with an enhanced antimicrobial activity and cell viability

Abstract

• A uniformed dispersible & stable coating layer of poly(tannic acid) (PTA) on AgNPs was prepared. • Core–shell AgNPs@PTA with a high yield of 95.8% and minimal toxicity was prepared. • Chitosan improved the half maximal inhibitory concentration of AgNPs@PTA up to 1000 ppm . • A competitive wound dressing was engineered by integrating AgNPs@PTA into activated carbon fiber. Wound dressings are considered to be effective barriers against bacterial attack. They also facilitate wound healing in nursing-management functions. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in wound dressings could overcome the problems associated with bacterial immunity, which is often observed in the use of conventional drugs. In the present work, a high concentration of cost effective and environmentally friendly AgNPs (16.3 ± 3.7 nm) with a uniform core–shell of poly(tannic acid) (PTA) was prepared. The preparation in high yield (95.8%) was based on an autoxidation-reduction reaction that was induced based on pH-responsive reduction affinity of tannic acid (TA). Despite the high antimicrobial activity of the prepared AgNPs@PTA, their cytotoxicity hindered their practical applications. The addition of different concentrations of natural cell viability enhancers, including TA and chitosan, to the prepared AgNPs@PTA solution improved significantly the cell viability. We have succeeded in improving the half maximal inhibitory concentration ( IC 50 ) from 1 to 1000 ppm with minimal cytotoxicity toward L929 cells and 99.99% antimicrobial performance against both E. coli and S. aureus . Finally, the prepared AgNPs@PTA was integrated in an activated carbon fibers for wound-dressing application and exhibited excellent performance when compared with some commercial wound-dressing products.