Antimicrobial electrospun nanofibers for wound dressings-Pharma 2022_Dr. Luis Jesús Villarreal Gómez

Incorporation of silver nanoparticles in electrospun nanofibers and their effect on the antimicrobial activity

Anayanci Mendoza Villicana1, Yadira Gochi Ponce1, Daniel Grande2, José Manuel Cornejo Bravo3, Arturo Zizumbo López1, Marlon César González Joaquín1, Alejandra Rocio Chávez Santoscoy4, Juan Antonio Paz González5, Nina Bogdanchikova6, Graciela Lizeth Pérez González3,5, Luis Jesús Villarreal-Gómez3,5

1Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana, Blvd. Alberto Limón Padilla y Av. ITR Tijuana S/N, Colonia Mesa de Otay C.P. 22500 Tijuana, Baja California, México, Tijuana, Baja California, México
2Institut de Chimie et des Matériaux Paris-Est, ICMPE – CNRS, Thiais, Paris, France, Thiais, Paris, Francia
3Facultad de Ciencias Químicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Unidad Otay, Tijuana, Baja California, México, Tijuana, Baja California, México
4Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Tecnológico de Monterrey, C.P. 64849. Monterrey, Nuevo Léon, México
5 Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Unidad Valle de las Palmas, Tijuana, Baja California, México, Tijuana, Baja California, México
6Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ensenada, Baja California, México, Ensenada, Baja California, México

Abstract

Wound dressings technology is of major interest in the actuality in order to avoid undesired effects when burns or skin wounds are treated, especially their risk for microbial contamination and subsequent infection. Hence, silver nanoparticles had claimed importance as antimicrobial agents and their use has been increased in the biomedical field. Hence, a comparative study of different methods to synthesize electrospun polymeric fibers loaded with silver nanoparticles (PCL / PVP-AgNPs) was investigated and performed such as direct blending, ultraviolet radiation, thermal treatment, and silver mirror reaction methods, and its antimicrobial efficiency is reported as well. The morphology, structure, and size of the fibers were obtained using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) where the loading of the AgNPs in the fibers and their distribution was demonstrated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy was used to measure the physicochemical properties of the fibers. The dynamic light scattering study made it possible to measure the size of the nanoparticles and the surface charge of the samples. The antimicrobial study was carried out for 24, 48, and 72 h in Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria, and cytotoxicity was evaluated with the MTT assay using HFF-1 human fibroblast cells. The results showed that the method with the best antimicrobial effect in both bacteria is the one where a reduction by ultraviolet light was performed to load the AgNPs. In SEM micrographs, the best distribution of AgNPs on the fiber was observed in the silver mirror reaction method, but UV radiation promote this distribution efficiency, the physicochemical properties obtained were desirable, and the particle size falls within the range to be considered Ag nanoparticle (~17 nm). These results determined the best method to prepare antibacterial wound dressings.

Keywords: Silver nanoparticles; Nanofibers; Electrospinning; UV; Thermal treatment; silver mirror reaction; direct blending