Impact of Electrospinning Parameters and Post-Treatment Method on Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activity of Chitosan Nanofibers

Abstract

Chitosan, a natural biopolymer, is an ideal candidate to prepare biomaterials capable of preventing microbial infections due to its antibacterial properties. Electrospinning is a versatile method ideally suited to process biopolymers with minimal impact on their physicochemical properties. However, fabrication parameters and post-processing routine can affect biological activity and, therefore, must be well adjusted. In this study, nanofibrous membranes were prepared using trifluoroacetic acid and dichloromethane and evaluated for physiochemical and antimicrobial properties. The use of such biomaterials as potential antibacterial agents was extensively studied in vitro using Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli as test organisms. The antibacterial assay showed inhibition of bacterial growth and eradication of the planktonic cells of both E. coli and S. aureus in the liquid medium for up to 6 hrs. The quantitative assay showed a significant reduction in bacteria cell viability by nanofibers depending on the method of fabrication. The antibacterial properties of these biomaterials can be attributed to the structural modifications provided by co-solvent formulation and application of post-treatment procedure. Consequently, the proposed antimicrobial surface modification method is a promising technique to prepare biomaterials designed to induce antimicrobial resistance via antiadhesive capability and the biocide-releasing mechanism.

Fabrication and Characterization of Electrospun Chitosan/Polylactic Acid (CH/PLA) Nanofiber Scaffolds for Biomedical Application

“…The addition of PEG as a co-solvent has different effects on the antibacterial properties of the samples against S. aureus and E. coli . Therefore, the difference observed in the antibacterial properties of the samples against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in our research can be attributed to the specific antibacterial mechanism of action of the compound Ch and its interaction with the distinct cell wall structures of these bacteria [ 40 ].…”

“…The disks of the nanofibrous membranes were placed on a plate. The plates were incubated upside down at 37 • C. The diameter of the inhibition zone was measured after 24 h, including the diameter of the disk [40]. Positive control was a disc with cefotaxime.…”

Antibacterial Potential and Biocompatibility of Chitosan/Polycaprolactone Nanofibrous Membranes Incorporated with Silver Nanoparticles

“…However, the CH-based membranes lacked sufficient antibacterial efficacy, necessitating the inclusion of additional components to satisfy antimicrobial standards [ 14 ]. A further limitation associated with CH membranes was their accelerated degradation rate in aqueous environments, which prompted the need for enhanced support structures or effective crosslinking strategies [ 16 ]. Although silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are recognized for their potent antibacterial properties, particularly against multi-drug resistant strains such as MRSA, their biocompatibility remains suboptimal, necessitating further optimization to mitigate adverse cellular and tissue interactions.…”

A robust and efficient lipase based nanobiocatalyst for phenothiazinyl-ethanol resolution

“…Many biopolymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), chitosan (CS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are used for the production of nanofibers through the electrospinning technique. [9][10][11][12][13] Chitosan (CS) is a nontoxic, biodegradable and biocompatible polysaccharide, and it is highly hydrophilic due to the presence of reactive amino groups and primary and secondary hydroxyl groups, presenting a strong antimicrobial and antifungal activity. 14 It is able to form beads, films, membranes, hydrogels or nanofibers which can operate as a gas and aroma barrier.…”

“…Many biopolymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), chitosan (CS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are used for the production of nanofibers through the electrospinning technique. 9–13…”