Electrospun antimicrobial polyurethane nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles for biotechnological applications

Abstract

In this study, a new class of polyurethane (PU) nanofibers containing silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) was synthesized by electrospinning. A simple method that did not depending on additional foreign chemicals was used to self synthesize the silver NPs in/on PU nanofibers. The synthesis of silver NPs was carried out by exploiting the reduction ability of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), which is used mainly to decompose silver nitrate to silver NPs. Typically, a sol-gel consisting of AgNO 3 /PU was electrospun and aged for one week. Silver NPs were created in/on PU nanofibers. SEM confirmed the well oriented nanofibers and good dispersion of pure silver NPs. TEM indicated that the Ag NPs were 5 to 20 nm in diameter. XRD demonstrated the good crystalline features of silver metal. The mechanical properties of the nanofiber mats showed improvement with increasing silver NPs content. The fixedness of the silver NPs obtained on PU nanofibers was examined by harsh successive washing of the as-prepared mats using a large amount of water. The results confirmed the good stability of the synthesized nanofiber mats. Two model organisms, E. coli and S. typhimurium, were used to check the antimicrobial influence of these nanofiber mats. Subsequently, antimicrobial tests indicated that the prepared nanofibers have a high bactericidal effect. Accordingly, these results highlight the potential use of these nanofiber mats as antimicrobial agents.

Virgin olive oil blended polyurethane micro/nanofibers ornamented with copper oxide nanocrystals for biomedical applications

“…We tested CuO migration by following the method of Sheikh et al with suitable modifications. 26 Briefly, a known weight (10 mg) of the composite mat was incubated in PBS (pH 7.4) at 37°C with constant agitation on a rotary incubator shaker for 1 week. PBS was replaced every 12 hours with fresh PBS for up to 1 week.…”

Fabrication and hemocompatibility assessment of novel polyurethane-based bio-nanofibrous dressing loaded with honey and <em>Carica papaya</em> extract for the management of burn injuries

“…The porosity percentage of the fabricated dressing falls in the optimum range required for sustained wound healing. 39,40 In the PU membrane, the pore size was distributed between 2 and 80 µm with a mean value of 15.75±1 µm. The bio-nanofibrous mesh exhibited a minor decrease in mean pore size (12.54±0.58 µm), and the distribution fell in the range 4-50 µm as illustrated in Figure 3.…”

“…Recent studies describing the development of PU-based nanofibrous membranes have demonstrated their excellent ability to establish sustained release of loaded biomolecules for the regeneration of damaged skin cells. [10][11][12] The polymer Tecoflex EG-80A selected in this research is a medical-grade thermoplastic polyether-based PU. It is already used in clinical applications for its elastomeric property and good compatibility.…”

Electrospun Polyurethane Nanofibers

“…Antibacterial and antimicrobial agents such as silver (Ag) nanoparticles [120], 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) [36], or streptomycin sulfate [87] loaded electrospun PU nanofibers were also developed for biomedical applications. Some of these studies combined the antibacterial properties of PU nanofibrous membranes with wound dressing applications.…”

“…Sheikh et al [120] synthesized PU nanofibers containing silver (Ag) nanoparticles. They carried out the synthesis of silver nanoparticles by exploiting the reduction ability of DMF, which is used mainly to decompose silver nitrate to silver nanoparticles.…”