Alcohol Nanofibrous Membranes Research Articles

Antibiotic delivery in the presence of green AgNPs using multifunctional bilayer carrageenan nanofiber/sodium alginate nanohydrogel for rapid control of wound infections

This study constructed bilayer nano-hydrogels using solvent casting and electrospinning techniques. The first layer consisted of a hydrogel containing sodium alginate and gellan gum, while the second layer was a carrageenan/polyvinyl alcohol nanofibrous membrane. The nanohydrogels were prepared with different doses of doxycycline antibiotic (0.12, 0.06, 0.03 g) and a fixed amount of silver nanoparticles (0.012 g), which were synthesized using the green method including Capparis spinosa leaf extract. The films were tested for their mechanical properties, swelling behavior, XRD, and FTIR, and their morphology was characterized using SEM. The biological properties of the nanohydrogels were also extensively assayed. X-ray diffraction analysis showed peak 111 for silver nanoparticles. Incorporating silver nanoparticles significantly enhanced nanohydrogels' mechanical and antibacterial properties and improved their ability to heal wounds. Nanohydrogels exhibited biodegradability, biocompatibility, anti-inflammatory properties (57.63 %), and high cell viability (>85 %) in laboratory conditions. The study confirmed that wound dressings containing doxycycline with controlled release are highly effective against pathogenic bacteria and prevent the formation of biofilms (92 %). The rats in-vivo study demonstrated that 100 % wound closure was achieved in nanohydrogels containing SA/GG/PVA/CAR/AgNPs/DOX0.12 after 14 days. The films could potentially lead to the development of new treatments against bacterial infections and inflammatory conditions of wounds.

Chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol nanofibrous membranes: towards green super-adsorbents for toxic gases

Removal of hazardous gases from the atmosphere has become a big challenge for scientists and engineers alike. Eco-friendly nature of biopolymers has given a new dimension to the debate within the environmental science area but attempts mainly failed to cleanse the air stream of toxic gases as a consequence of design imperfections. In this work, green electrospun nanofibrous membranes based on chitosan (Cs)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite with a very high carbon monoxide adsorption capacity (much higher than the values one may expect from activated carbon and zeolite adsorbents, and also higher than that of the metal-organic framework) are developed. 2k−1 factorial design, response surface and desirability function analyses are merged to optimize the electrospinning parameters for functional-based carbon monoxide elimination. The best Cs/PVA adsorbent obtained through multi-objective optimization has a very high desirability value level of 0.953. Optimized electrospinning parameters are: Voltage = 17 kV, spinning distance = 13 cm, flow rate = 0.2 mL/h, and PVA concentration = 6 wt.%; and optimized properties are: maximum thermal stability = 329 °C, minimum fiber diameter = 9.8 nm, and maximum surface area = 2204 m2/g. This work opens a new era for taking the next steps towards the design and optimization of green super-adsorbents for gaseous contaminations.

Antimicrobial Efficacy and Cell Adhesion Inhibition of In Situ Synthesized ZnO Nanoparticles/Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibrous Membranes

Nanoparticle metal oxides are emerging as a new class of important materials in medical, agricultural, and industrial applications. In this context, free zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been increasingly shown with broad antimicrobial activities. However, biological properties of immobilized ZnO NPs on matrixes like nanofibrous membranes are still limited. In this study, in situ synthesized ZnO NPs/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous membranes were fabricated by electrospinning with different zinc acetate concentrations. Characterization results indicated that, with 5 mM zinc acetate, uniform size ZnO NPs (~40 nm) were formed and evenly distributed on the membrane surface. The surfaces became more hydrophobic with higher concentration of zinc acetate. ZnO NPs/PVA nanofibrous membranes showed a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities and cell adhesion inhibiting effects against four microorganisms including Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative Escherichia coli, fungi Candida albicans, and spores of Aspergillus niger. Our data revealed that the major antimicrobial mechanism could be attributed to cell membrane damage and cellular internalization of ZnO NPs, while the hydrophobic surface of the membrane primarily contributed to the cell adhesion inhibition. This study suggests that ZnO NPs/PVA nanofibrous membranes could potentially be used as an effective antimicrobial agent to maintain agricultural and food safety.