Improvement In Antimicrobial Properties Research Articles

Antimicrobial studies in rubber nanocomposites—A mini review

Infectious diseases are considered as a significant threat to human health as well as environment. Due to the increasing microbial diseases, researchers are trying to find out new materials with superior antimicrobial properties. Insertion of various nanofillers into rubber matrices will result in the production of advanced rubber nanocomposites with improved mechanical, electrical, thermal and barrier properties. However, improvement in antimicrobial properties of rubber nanocomposites is still remaining as an unexplored area. But the existing studies show that, the addition of antimicrobial nanofillers can introduce antimicrobial properties into the final rubber nanocomposites and thus can be used in various biomedical applications. Thus the present review tries to bring together all the available antimicrobial works in the area of rubber nanocompositses.

Improvement in antimicrobial properties of titanium by diethyl phosphite plasma-based surface modification

Titanium (Ti) has been commonly used as a biomaterial for dental applications. However, they have struggled with the formation of polymicrobial infections leading to peri-implantitis. In this research, antimicrobial activity of titanium modified via diethyl phosphite (DEP) plasma onto Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Candida albicans (C. albicans), the two most frequently encountered pathogens in peri-implantitis, were investigated. Surface modification with DEP was achieved with plasma polymerization technique in a low-pressure/radio-frequency plasma using 75 W of plasma power and 10 min of exposure time under 0.15 mbar. Hydrophilicity, surface energy and roughness of Ti surface was increased and anionic Ti surface became amphoteric after surface modification according to physical and chemical examinations. This process significantly enhanced the antimicrobial efficiency of Ti towards S. aureus and C. albicans cells compared to control groups via contact killing. Moreover, DEP coating shown excellent compatibility with 93 % of L929 fibroblast cell viability. These findings revealed that amphoteric plasma polymer prepared from DEP offers promising solution for preventing biofilm formation on Ti.

Artificial Saliva: Challenges and Future Perspectives for the Treatment of Xerostomia.

The chronic sensation of a dry mouth is a disease condition called xerostomia and affects a large part of the population. Xerostomia is associated with decreased secretion, or more often, qualitative changes in saliva proteins and immunoglobulin concentrations that develop as a result of salivary gland dysfunction. Several reasons causing dry mouth were described, and usually, they include taking medications, diseases or radiotherapy. In some situations, when it is difficult to use salivary stimulants or salivary gland damage is irreversible, the only option might seem to be saliva substitutes. The paper presents the most important aspects considering saliva preparations. The rheological and lubricating properties and the reconstruction of the complex saliva structure has been the main purpose of research. The biological properties of saliva preparations were also widely discussed. As part of the work, the antimicrobial effect of three commercial saliva preparations was tested. Finally, inadequate antimicrobial properties against the strains isolated from the oral cavity were demonstrated. The development of salivary substitutes, in particular, the improvement of antimicrobial properties, can be achieved using nanotechnology, including drug delivery systems containing nanocarriers.

Novel active packaging based on carboxymethyl cellulose-chitosan-ZnO NPs nanocomposite for increasing the shelf life of bread

In this study a new nanocomposite film and coating based on chitosan-carboxymethyl cellulose-oleic acid (CMC-CH-OL) incorporated with different concentrations (0.5, 1 and 2%) of zinc oxide nano particles (ZnO NPs) have been suggested as a packaging material to increase the shelf life (microbial and staling) of sliced wheat bread. Water vapor permeability (WVP) of the CMC-CH film was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased after incorporation of oleic acid as well as ZnO NPs (2%) from 8.27 × 10−7 to 5.28 × 10−7 and 1.96 × 10−7 g/m.h.pa, respectively. Results of moisture content and water activity (aw) showed better maintenance of moisture content for breads stored by active coatings compared to the control one (bread without coating). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms of control bread showed an endothermic peak corresponding to amylopectin retrogradation. Control exhibited the highest firmness over 15 days of storage in all other samples. The results of microbial tests revealed an increase in microbial shelf life of sliced wheat bread from 3 to 35 days for CMC-CH-OL-ZnO NPs 2% in compared to the control. All active coatings lessened the number of yeasts and molds in sliced bread during 15 days, and further improvement in antimicrobial properties obtained for coatings contains 1 and 2% ZnO NPs with no fungal growth during 15 days.

Effective surface attachment of Ag nanoparticles on fibers using glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride and improvement of antimicrobial properties

Functional m-aramid fibers with antimicrobial properties by reaction of glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride with silver nanoparticles.

Finishing of Cotton Fabrics with Hyperbranched Poly (ester-amine) to Enhance Their Antibacterial Properties and UV Protection

A novel hyperbranched poly (ester-amine) was synthesized, characterized, and used in finishing formulations for attaining functionalized cross-linked cellulose structure. The data show that: (i) incorporation of the prepared HBP in the finishing bath results in an increase in nitrogen content, flexural rigidity and dyeability with anionic dyes along with a decrease in fabric resiliency; (ii) post-treatment with iodine solution brings about a remarkable improvement in antimicrobial properties; and, (iii) subsequent treatment of modified-cross-linked cotton fabrics with Zn- or Cu- acetate leads to a higher UV-protecting and antibacterial functionalities along with a high durability to wash.