Preparation of Electrospun Gelatin Mat with Incorporated Zinc Oxide/Graphene Oxide and Its Antibacterial Activity

Abstract

Current wound dressings have poor antimicrobial activities and are difficult to degrade. Therefore, biodegradable and antibacterial dressings are urgently needed. In this article, we used the hydrothermal method and side-by-side electrospinning technology to prepare a gelatin mat with incorporated zinc oxide/graphene oxide (ZnO/GO) nanocomposites. The resultant fibers were characterized by field emission environment scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results indicated that the gelatin fibers had good morphology, and ZnO/GO nanocomposites were uniformly dispersed on the fibers. The loss of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) viability were observed to more than 90% with the incorporation of ZnO/GO. The degradation process showed that the composite fibers completely degraded within 7 days and had good controllable degradation characteristics. This study demonstrated the potential applicability of ZnO/GO-gelatin mats with excellent antibacterial properties as wound dressing material.

Biomedical Applications of Electrospun Graphene Oxide

“…GO-containing electrospun mats have been vastly reported as antimicrobial and antibacterial (Table ). These mats have been constructed with various polymers such as polyurethane/cellulose acetate, polycaprolactone, fibroin, silk fibroin, , gelatin, , chitosan, ,, PVA, ,− PVP, PEO, collagen, etc. Generally, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are killed when GO is added into the scaffold ,,,,,,, (Figure ), with one report highlighting its efficiency toward Gram-negative bacteria in particular …”

“…The electrospun material exhibits hybrid properties of two polymers which allows for post-electrospinning modification. The “side-by-side” process has been previously used to electrospin GO/zinc oxide (ZnO)/gelatin for antibacterial purposes .…”

“…The “side-by-side” process has been previously used to electrospin GO/zinc oxide (ZnO)/gelatin for antibacterial purposes . Degradation studies showed full degradation of the materials after 7 days, thus highlighting the material’s potential for wound-dressing applications …”

“…Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) were reduced by 90% upon exposure to these composites . Degradation studies showed full degradation of the materials after 7 days, thus highlighting the material’s potential for wound-dressing applications …”

Distinguished Contributions in the Fields of Biomedical and Environmental Applications Incorporating Nanostructured Materials and Composites in Journal Molecules

“…The advanced composite film also exhibited excellent antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus , indicating its great potential towards the realization of wound dressings. In a similar context, Li et al [ 5 ] prepared biodegradable wound dressing fibers using a gelatin mat that embedded ZnO/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites and showed enhanced antibacterial properties against the same above-mentioned bacteria. In another work, Grande-Tovar et al [ 6 ] investigated the potential applicability of various chitosan (CS)/glutaraldehyde (GLA)-based composites incorporating titanium dioxide NPs (TiO 2 ) and GO, in cell regeneration and biomedical applications.…”