Preparation, Characterization, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Lignin and Eco-friendly Lignin Nanoparticles from Egyptian Cotton Stalks

Abstract

Pathogenic microorganisms are a major source of environmental concerns, according to their capability of proliferation on all surfaces. Antimicrobial drugs of new types are now has been developed to inhibit bacteria adherence and biofilm formation. However, they are generally of synthetic origin and have a lot of disadvantages. Natural biopolymers as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, look interesting as antibacterial agents. Lignin, a common plant biopolymer, is known to have antioxidant activity. Nanoparticles have qualities that are either better or worse than their bulk materials or parent polymers. The objectives of this article are to recycle cotton stalks into environmentally friendly products by extracting lignin from two Egyptian cotton cultivars (by-products): Giza 86 and Giza 90, using the organosolv technique, and transferring them into lignin nanoparticles. Also, to determine whether lignin and lignin nanoparticle bioactivities (i.e., antioxidant and antibacterial) may be used to treat textiles for medical applications against seven harmful bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus sciuri, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella enterica, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and five mycotoxigenic fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus ochraceus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium proliferatum, and Penicillium verrucosum). LNPs were studied using Particle Size Analyzer, Fourier Transformer Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results revealed that organosolv lignin nanoparticles 90 (OLNP90) had the strongest antioxidant effectiveness with an IC50 of 9.41 µg/mL whereas the minimum antioxidant activity for organosolv lignin nanoparticles 86 (OLNP86) was found with an IC50 of 11.66 µg/mL. On the other hand, treatment with lignin and lignin nanoparticles had a greater effect on bacteria than fungi. Penicillium verrucosum exhibited the greatest inhibition zone (15.5 mm) for OLNP86 with no significant differences with Nystatin (15.8 mm), while Salmonella typhi exhibited the greatest inhibition zone (14.7 mm) for OLNP86 in comparison of Tetracycline (25.4 mm). Similarly, the study of textiles treated with lignin and nanolignin showed a clear effect on bacteria and fungi under study, where Penicillium verrucosum exhibited the greatest inhibition zone (30.7 mm), while Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibited the greatest inhibition zone (36.3 mm) for OLNP86. As a result, the current study showed that OLNP's antioxidant and antimicrobial characteristics can be further utilized in medical textiles (surgical bandages, clothing, bed sheets, and towels), which can be used for patients with conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney failure who cannot tolerate antibiotics.

Nanoparticle/biopolymer-based coatings for functionalization of textiles: recent developments (a minireview)

“…The antibacterial efficacy of the PVA/chitosan/V 2 O 5 nanoparticles was increased by increasing the V 2 O 5 nanoparticle concentration. [74][75][76][77][78] As one will notice, in the past few years the progress in the quest for achieving excellence with respect to wash fastness, antibacterial attributes and the biocompatibility of textile materials in comparison with using only nanoparticle coating has been quite significant and is ongoing. By using nanoparticles-biopolymers deposition on textiles by various deposition techniques, the antibacterial attributes and the biocompatibility of the textile materials can easily be achieved simultaneously.…”

“…The antibacterial efficacy of the PVA/chitosan/V 2 O 5 nanoparticles was increased by increasing the V 2 O 5 nanoparticle concentration. 74–78…”

Recycling and chemistry of the lignocellulosic biomass for cotton stalks to primer value-added products

“…11 (2023) carbohydrate composed of oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen, with several properties of cellulose depending on the degree of polymerization, chain length, and the number of glucose units comprising the polymer chain. Natural biopolymers as cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, showed antibacterial activities [12]. Cellulose is insoluble in water, weak acids, alkalis, and most organic solvents [13].…”

“…Cellulose is insoluble in water, weak acids, alkalis, and most organic solvents [13]. Lignin, a common plant biopolymer, is known to have antioxidant activity and its nanoparticles showed a significant power to inhibit bacterial growth over time [12]. Recently, industrial production of most chemicals relies on fossil-based feedstock [14].…”

The Practical Utility of Imidazolium Hydrogen Sulfate Ionic Liquid in Fabrication of Lignin-Based Spheres: Structure Characteristic and Antibacterial Activity

“…syringae and the antibacterial activity was observed with good efficiency. Ali et al (2022 ) prepared lignin nanospheres from cotton by-products by the organosolv technique. It was observed that obtained materials exhibited great antibacterial properties, several times higher than conventional antibiotics.…”