scholarly journals Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes Based on Citric Acid-Functionalized Chitosan Containing rGO-TEPA with Potential Application in Wound Dressings

Polymers ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Elena Cojocaru ◽  
Jana Ghitman ◽  
Gratiela Gradisteanu Pircalabioru ◽  
Cristina Stavarache ◽  
Andrada Serafim ◽  
...  

The present research work is focused on the design and investigation of electrospun composite membranes based on citric acid-functionalized chitosan (CsA) containing reduced graphene oxide-tetraethylene pentamine (CsA/rGO-TEPA) as materials with opportune bio-properties for applications in wound dressings. The covalent functionalization of chitosan (CS) with citric acid (CA) was achieved through the EDC/NHS coupling system and was checked by 1H-NMR spectroscopy and FTIR spectrometry. The mixtures to be electrospun were formulated by adding three concentrations of rGO-TEPA into the 1/1 (w/w) CsA/poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) solution. The effect of rGO-TEPA concentration on the morphology, wettability, thermal stability, cytocompatibility, cytotoxicity, and anti-biofilm activity of the nanofibrous membranes was extensively investigated. FTIR and Raman results confirmed the covalent and non-covalent interactions that appeared between the system’s compounds, and the exfoliation of rGO-TEPA sheets within the CsA in the presence of PEO (CsA/P) polymer matrix, respectively. SEM analysis emphasized the nanofibrous architecture of membranes and the presence of rGO-TEPA sheets entrapped into the CsA nanofiber structure. The MTT cellular viability assay showed a good cytocompatibility with the highest level of cell development and proliferation registered for the CsA/P composite nanofibrous membrane with 0.250 wt.% rGO-TEPA. The designed nanofibrous membranes could have potential applications in wound dressings, given that they showed a good anti-biofilm activity against Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strains.

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1776
Author(s):  
Latifah Abdullah Alshabanah ◽  
Mohamed Hagar ◽  
Laila A. Al-Mutabagani ◽  
Ghada M. Abozaid ◽  
Salwa M. Abdallah ◽  
...  

In this research work, nanofibrous hybrids are manufactured, characterized, and assessed as active antiviral and antibacterial membranes. In more detail, both polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofibrous (NF) membranes and their composites with embedded silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are manufactured by an electrospinning process. Their morphological structures have been investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) which revealed a homogenous distribution and almost beads-free fibers in all manufactured samples. Characterization with spectroscopic tools has been performed and proved the successful manufacturing of Ag-incorporated PVA and TPU hybrid nanofibers. The crystalline phase of the nanofibers has been determined using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) whose patterns showed their crystalline nature at an angle value (2θ) of less than 20°. Subsequent screening of both antiviral and antibacterial potential activities of developed nanohybrid membranes has been explored against different viruses, including SARS-Cov-2 and some bacterial strains. As a novel approach, the current work highlights potential effects of several polymeric hybrids on antiviral and antibacterial activities particularly against SARS-Cov-2. Moreover, two types of polymers have been tested and compared; PVA of excellent biodegradable and hydrophilic properties, and TPU of excellent mechanical, super elasticity, hydrophobicity, and durability properties. Such extreme polymers can serve a wide range of applications such as PPE, filtration, wound healing, etc. Consequently, assessment of their antiviral/antibacterial activities, as host matrices for Ag NPs, is needed for different medical applications. Our results showed that TPU-Ag was more effective than PVA-Ag as HIV-1 antiviral nanohybrid as well as in deactivating spike proteins of SARS-Cov-2. Both TPU-Ag and PVA-Ag nanofibrous membranes were found to have superior antimicrobial performance by increasing Ag concentration from 2 to 4 wt.%. Additionally, the developed membranes showed acceptable physical and mechanical properties along with both antiviral and antibacterial activities, which can enable them to be used as a promising functional layer in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as (surgical gowns, gloves, overshoes, hair caps, etc.). Therefore, the developed functional membranes can support the decrease of both coronavirus spread and bacterial contamination, particularly among healthcare professionals within their workplace settings.


2020 ◽  
pp. 004051752092551
Author(s):  
Javeed A Awan ◽  
Saif Ur Rehman ◽  
Muhammad Kashif Bangash ◽  
Fiaz Hussain ◽  
Jean-Noël Jaubert

Curcumin is a naturally occurring hydrophobic polyphenol compound. It exhibits a wide range of biological activities such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, antifungal, anti-HIV, and antimicrobial activity. In this research work, antimicrobial curcumin nanofibrous membranes are produce by an electrospinning technique using the Eudragit RS 100 (C19H34ClNO6) polymer solution enriched with curcumin. The morphology and chemistry of the membrane are analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Kirby Bauer disk diffusion tests are carried out to examine the antibacterial effectiveness of the membrane. Experimental results show that the nanofibers produced are of uniform thickness morphology and curcumin is successfully incorporated into the nanofibrous mat, while no chemical bonding was observed between curcumin and the polymer. The antimicrobial curcumin nanofibrous membranes can be effectively applied as antimicrobial barrier in a wide variety of medical applications such as wound healing, scaffolds, and tissue engineering.


Author(s):  
Yueming Yao ◽  
Yuxia Guo ◽  
Xiaoran Li ◽  
Jianyong Yu ◽  
Bin Ding

Author(s):  
Ashok Thulluru ◽  
Veeravalli Kumar Sai ◽  
Pavan Kumar M ◽  
Roshitha B

ABSTRACTObjective: The current research work is intended to formulate propranolol HCl (PLH) as orally disintegrating tablet (ODT). It is also intending to checkthe superiority in a combination of superdisintegrants and effervescent mixture than the use of superdisintegrants alone by a direct compressiontechnique. To fasten the onset of action and thereby enhancing the bioavailability of PLH in comparison to its conventional tablets.Methods: Standard calibration curve of PLH was obtained in pH 6.8 phosphate buffer by spectrophotometric method, drug-excipient compatibilitystudies were carried by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) studies. All the formulations were evaluated for pre and postcompression studies.Accelerated stability studies were carried out up to 6 months for the optimized formulation, EF3.Results and Discussion: Superdisintegrants used in the study are compatible with PLH. Pre- and post-compression parameters were within theacceptable limits for all formulations. In vitro dissolution kinetic studies indicate the release of PLH from ODT increases as the concentration ofsuperdisintegrants as well as the ratio of citric acid: NaHCO3 of effervescent mixture increases. Formulations with an effervescent mixture are havingrapid disintegration and dissolution rate when compared to the formulations with superdisintegrants alone. The order of superdisintegrants inenhancing the dissolution rate of PLH is crospovidone (CPV) > croscarmellose sodium (CCS) > sodium starch glycolate (SSG). Formulation, EF3 (10%CPV and 1:3, citric acid: NaHCO3 ratio, respectively) had the highest dissolution efficiency at 10 minutes (DE10=82.74%); the first order dissolutionrate constant (K1=0.141/minutes) with a regression coefficient (r2=0.974) and lesser time for 90% of drug release (t90=4 minutes), was considered asthe optimal ODT in this study. Formulation EF3, passed the test for stability.Conclusion: Hence, an effective PLH ODT was formulated by the direct compression technique with disintegration by combination of superdisintegrantsand effervescent mixture, will fasten the onset of action and enhances the bioavailability of PLH in comparison to its conventional tablets.Keywords: Propranolol HCl, Orally disintegrating tablet, Sodium starch glycolate, Croscarmellose sodium, Crospovidone, Direct compression, In vitrodissolution studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Fadhil Muhammad Tarmidzi ◽  
Inggit Kresna Maharsih ◽  
Tina Raihatul Jannah ◽  
Cici Sari Wahyuni

Teknik pembalutan luka saat ini menerapkan metode perawatan luka modern dengan cara mempertahankan isolasi lingkungan luka dalam keadaan tertutup dan lembab. Ada beberapa jenis pembalut luka yang telah dikembangkan, salah satunya hidrogel. Hidrogel merupakan pembalut luka berbentuk lembaran yang memiliki kemampuan menyerap cairan luka dan memiliki stabilitas yang baik pada pH asam sehingga dapat digunakan untuk pengobatan luka bakar. Dalam penelitian ini, hidrogel dibuat menggunakan polimer alami seperti pektin dan gelatin. Kedua bahan tersebut dikombinasikan menggunakan metode ikatan silang dengan penambahan asam sitrat sebagai agen pengikat silang. Penambahan asam sitrat memberikan pengaruh terhadap karakteristik material hidrogel yang dihasilkan, sehingga diperlukan jumlah yang tepat agar didapatkan hidrogel dengan properti material yang baik. Hidrogel juga ditambahkan zat aktif berupa flavonoid pada ekstrak kulit buah naga agar dapat digunakan sebagai pembalut luka untuk menyembuhkan luka bakar. Dari hasil penelitian, hidrogel dengan konsentrasi asam sitrat 4% (Hidrogel CA 4%) menghasilkan nilai swelling, tensile strength, dan elongation tertinggi sebesar 890%, 0,05 Mpa, dan 200%. Hasil properti mekanik dari Hidrogel CA 4% ini dibuktikan dengan uji FTIR yang telah dilakukan, yaitu munculnya gugus karbonil C=O sebagai hasil reaksi esterifikasi yang terjadi antara polimer dengan asam sitrat di daerah serapan 1733,9 cm-1.Wound dressing technique currently applies modern wound care methods by maintaining the environmental isolation of the wound in a closed and moist state. There are several types of wound dressing that have been developed, one of them is hydrogel. Hydrogel is sheet-shaped wound dressings which have the ability to absorb exudate and have good stability acidic pH that can be used for the treatment of burns. In this study, hydrogel were made using natural polymers such as pectin and gelatin. The two polymers were combined using crosslinking method with the addition of citric acid as a crosslinking agent. The addition of citric acid has affect on the characteristics of the hydrogel material produced, therefore the right amount is needed to obtain a hydrogel with good mechanical properties. Hydrogel also added by an active substance in the form of flavonoids from dragon fruit peel extract that can be used as a wound dressing to cure burns. This study resulting hydrogel with a concentration of 4% citric acid (Hydrogel CA 4%) produced highest value of swelling, tensile strength, and elongation are 890%, 0.05 Mpa, and 200%, repectively. The mechanical properties of Hydrogel CA 4% was proved by FTIR test that had been carried out, namely the presence of C=O carbonyl group as a result of the esterification reaction that occurred between the polymers and citric acid in the absorption area of 1733.9 cm-1.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sehrish Iftikhar ◽  
Aurélie Vigne ◽  
Julia Elisa Sepulveda-Diaz

AbstractFungicides are extensively used in agriculture to control fungal pathogens which are responsible for significant economic impact on plant yield and quality. The conventional antifungal screening techniques, such as water agar and 96-well plates, are based on laborious protocols and bulk analysis, restricting the analysis at the single spore level and are time consuming. In this study, we present a droplet-based microfluidic platform that enables antifungal analysis of single spores of filamentous fungus Alternaria alternata. A droplet-based viability assay was developed, allowing the germination and hyphal growth of single A. alternata spores within droplets. The viability was demonstrated over a period of 24 h and the antifungal screening was achieved using Kunshi/Tezuma as antifungal agent. The efficacy results of the droplet-based antifungal analysis were compared and validated with the results obtained from conventional protocols. The percentage inhibitions assessed by the droplet-based platform were equivalent with those obtained by the other two methods, and the Pearson correlation analysis showed high correlation between the three assays. Taken together, this droplet-based microfluidic platform provides a wide range of potential applications for the analysis of fungicide resistance development as well as combinatorial screening of other antimicrobial agents and even antagonistic fungi.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelrahim H. A. Hassan ◽  
Wael N. Hozzein ◽  
Ahmed S. M. Mousa ◽  
Walaa Rabie ◽  
Dalal Hussien M. Alkhalifah ◽  
...  

Abstract It is well known that the quality and quantity of bioactive metabolites in plants and microorganisms are affected by environmental factors. We applied heat stress as a promising approach to stimulate the production of antioxidants in four heat-tolerant bacterial strains (HT1 to HT4) isolated from Aushazia Lake, Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA sequences indicated that HT1, HT3 and HT4 belong to genus Bacillus. While HT2 is closely related to Pseudooceanicola marinus with 96.78% similarity. Heat stress differentially induced oxidative damage i.e., high lipid peroxidation, lipoxygenase and xanthine oxidase levels in HT strains. Subsequently, heat stress induced the levels of flavonoids and polyphenols in all strains and glutathione (GSH) in HT2. Heat stress also improved the antioxidant enzyme activities, namely, CAT, SOD and POX in all strains and thioredoxin activity in HT3 and HT4. While GSH cycle (GSH level and GPX, GR, Grx and GST activities) was only detectable and enhanced by heat stress in HT2. The hierarchical cluster analysis of the antioxidants also supported the strain-specific responses. In conclusion, heat stress is a promising approach to enhance antioxidant production in bacteria with potential applications in food quality improvement and health promotion.


Membranes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casadei ◽  
Venturi ◽  
Giacinti Baschetti ◽  
Giorgini ◽  
Maccaferri ◽  
...  

In the present study, the separation performance of new self-standing polyvinylamine (PVAm) membranes loaded with few-layer graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) was evaluated, in view of their use in carbon capture applications. PVAm, provided by BASF as commercial product named LupaminTM, was purified obtaining PVAm films with two degrees of purification: Low Grade (PVAm-LG) and High Grade (PVAm-HG). These two-grade purified PVAm were loaded with 3 wt% of graphene and graphene oxide to improve mechanical stability: indeed, pristine tested materials proved to be brittle when dry, while highly susceptible to swelling in humid conditions. Purification performances were assessed through FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, DSC and TGA analysis, which were carried out to characterize the pristine polymer and its nanocomposites. In addition, the membranes′ fracture surfaces were observed through SEM analysis to evaluate the degree of dispersion. Water sorption and gas permeation tests were performed at 35 °C at different relative humidity (RH), ranging from 50% to 95%. Overall, composite membranes showed improved mechanical stability at high humidity, and higher glass transition temperature (Tg) with respect to neat PVAm. Ideal CO2/N2 selectivity up to 80 was measured, paired with a CO2 permeability of 70 Barrer. The membranes’ increased mechanical stability against swelling, even at high RH, without the need of any crosslinking, represents an interesting result in view of possible further development of new types of facilitated transport composite membranes.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1571
Author(s):  
Sonia Szymańska ◽  
Jarosław Tyburski ◽  
Agnieszka Piernik ◽  
Marcin Sikora ◽  
Justyna Mazur ◽  
...  

Increasing land salinization in recent decades has led to a decrease in crop productivity worldwide. We hypothesized that bioaugmentation of beetroot (Beta vulgaris) with halotolerant endophytic bacterial strains isolated from the obligatory halophytic plant Salicornia europaea L. may mitigate salt stress in new host plants. Therefore, we investigated the effects of inoculation with Pseudomonas stutzeri ISE12 or Kushneria marisflavi CSE9 on B. vulgaris growth in substrates enriched with various NaCl concentrations (0, 50, 150, 300 mM). The results of this study indicated that bioaugmentation with either bacteria resulted in improved growth parameters and increased chlorophyll content, as well as decreased proline and hydrogen peroxide concentrations, in B. vulgaris organs. However, K. marisflavi CSE9 was more efficient in achieving salt stress mitigation than P. stutzeri ISE12. In conclusion, the range of salinity tolerance seems to be a key parameter in the selection of strains for beet inoculation. The selected halotolerant endophytes (P. stutzeri ISE12 and K. marisflavi CSE9) isolated from the roots of obligatory halophytic S. europaea may be employed for plant growth promotion, especially in saline areas, and have potential applications in sustainable agriculture.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panagiota Moutsatsou ◽  
Karen Coopman ◽  
Stella Georgiadou

Background: Within the healthcare industry, including the care of chronic wounds, the challenge of antimicrobial resistance continues to grow. As such, there is a need to develop new treatments that can reduce the bioburden in wounds. Objective: The present study is focused on the development of polyaniline (PANI) / chitosan (CH) nanofibrous electrospun membranes and evaluates their antibacterial properties. Methods: To this end, experimental design was used to determine the electrospinning windows of both pure chitosan and PANI/CH blends of different ratios (1:3, 3:5, 1:1). The effect of key environmental and process parameters (relative humidity and applied voltage) was determined, as well as the effect of the PANI/CH ratio in the blend and the molecular interactions between PANI and chitosan that led to jet stability. Results: The nanofibrous mats were evaluated regarding their morphology and antibacterial effect against model gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains, namely B. subtilis and E. coli. High PANI content mats show increased bactericidal activity against both bacterial strains. Conclusion: The blend fibre membranes combine the materials’ respective properties, namely electrical conductivity, biocompatibility and antibacterial activity. This study suggests that electrospun PANI/CH membranes are promising candidates for healthcare applications, such as wound dressings.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document