Abstract
The physico–chemical and biological properties of nanostructured ZnO are combined with the non-toxic and eco-friendly features of the scCO2-mediated drug loading technique to develop a multifunctional antimicrobial drug delivery system for potential applications in wound healing. Two nanostructured ZnO (NsZnO) with different morphologies were prepared through wet organic-solvent-free processes and characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and nitrogen adsorption analysis. The antimicrobial activity of the two samples against different microbial strains was investigated together with the in vitro Zn2+ release. The results indicated that the two ZnO nanostructures exhibited the following activity: S. aureus > C. albicans > K. pneumoniae. A correlation between the antimicrobial activity, the physico–chemical properties (specific surface area and crystal size) and the Zn2+ ion release was found. Ibuprofen was, for the first time, loaded on the NsZnO carriers with a supercritical CO2-mediated drug impregnation process and in vitro dissolution studies of the loaded drug were performed. A successful loading up to 14% w/w of ibuprofen in its amorphous form was obtained. A preliminary drug release test showed that up to 68% of the loaded ibuprofen could be delivered to a biological medium, confirming the feasibility of using NsZnO as a multifunctional antimicrobial drug carrier.
Highlights
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a multifunctional material possessing unique physical and chemical properties, such as high chemical stability, a high electrochemical coupling coefficient, a broad range of radiation absorption and high photostability [1]
The results indicated that the two ZnO nanostructures exhibited the following activity: S. aureus > C. albicans > K. pneumoniae
Microorganism inocula were prepared by picking two to three colonies from an overnight culture of S. aureus/K. pneumoniae on Brain heart infusion agar (BHA, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) or of C. albicans on Sabouraud dextrose (SAB, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) agar at 37 ◦C or 35 ◦C, suspending them in 5 mL of 0.85% normal saline, to yield a 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard, corresponding to a suspension of ~5 × 108 CFU/mL for bacteria or 5 × 106 CFU/mL for yeasts
Summary
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a multifunctional material possessing unique physical and chemical properties, such as high chemical stability, a high electrochemical coupling coefficient, a broad range of radiation absorption and high photostability [1]. The fundamental idea of this research project is to combine the physico–chemical and biological properties of ZnO with the eco-friendly features of the scCO2–mediated drug impregnation process to develop a green multifunctional device for treating painful wounds. This consists of the combination of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory/analgesic action in a single delivery system. This work is a feasibility study aiming at investigating the possibility of loading IBU on different ZnO carriers by means of scCO2 and checking the antimicrobial activity as well as the capability of the obtained system to release Zn2+ ions and the drug, which are essential requirements for the development of a multifunctional device for wound healing applications. IBU was loaded on the NsZnO carriers with a scCO2–mediated drug impregnation process and in vitro dissolution studies of the loaded drug were performed
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