Antibacterial epoxy composites with addition of natural Artemisia annua waste

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Antibacterial epoxy resins (EP) have great potential in medical and electronic fields. During the process of extracting artemisinin from <jats:italic>Artemisia annua</jats:italic>, artemisia naphtha (AN) is generated as waste. The components of AN show antibacterial activity, and hence, it is introduced as a novel antibacterial agent in the epoxy matrix. In this study, the properties of epoxy resins with various AN loading were investigated. The results showed that AN/EP composites presented strong antibacterial activity against <jats:italic>Escherichia coli</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus</jats:italic> at the sterilization ratio of 100% against <jats:italic>E. coli</jats:italic> and 99.96% against <jats:italic>S. aureus</jats:italic>, respectively. Meanwhile, the thermal properties (curing temperature and glass transition temperature) of AN/EP composites remained well, and the mechanical property was even improved. Especially, the flexural strength of AN/EP composites could be reinforced by 62.9% when the content of AN was up to 5 wt%. For comparison, <jats:italic>Artemisia annua</jats:italic> powder (AAP), which was directly smashed from natural <jats:italic>A. annua</jats:italic>, was also mixed with epoxy resins as an antibacterial agent and showed excellent antibacterial property. Therefore, antibacterial epoxy composites containing <jats:italic>A. annua</jats:italic> waste as a natural resource with the enhanced mechanical property may have enormous potential in future biological and healthcare fields.</jats:p>

Functionalized Chitosan Nanomaterials: A Jammer for Quorum Sensing

“…Both microbes alone and the biofilm formed by them attach themselves to specific surfaces. The biofilm-associated cells are especially capable of forming an extracellular polymeric substance matrix (EPS), which can maintain decreased growth rates and allow for up- and down regulation of some specific genes [ 3 , 4 ]. The EPS matrix possesses a definite construction pattern and creates an optimal condition that allows the microbes to exchange genetic contents between the cells [ 5 ].…”

Artemisia Naphta: A novel oil extract for sensitive and acne prone skin

“…Utilizing GC-MS analysis, the chemical composition of our novel AN oil extract was characterized. We identi ied eucalyptol as a major component present at similar levels in both AN (5.2%) [8] and our AN oil extract (5.6%, Table 1). Eucalytpol (also referred to as 1,8-cineole) has a mint-like scent and in addition to its antibacterial activity it is also a strong skin penetration enhancer [9].…”

“…To date, research on AN has been limited as compared to other A. annua extracts. One report demonstrates that it is composed of several phenolics and terpenes, resulting in antimicrobial activity [8]. As noted previously, A. annua extracts have shown promise in promoting healthy skin.…”

“…The typical extraction process of artemisinin from A. annua powder results in non-volatile compounds (including artemisinin) and byproduct volatile components such as AN. AN is mainly composed of terpenoid and phenolic hydroxyl functional groups such as eucalyptol, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpinyl propionate and β-pinene [8]. Using this AN byproduct as a starting point, distillation and recti ication steps are then performed at 110 °C, followed by decolorization yielding a novel, puri ied AN oil extract.…”

“…It has been previously demonstrated that A. annua extracts [2] and artemisia naphtha (AN) [8] possess antimicrobial activity against several microbes including C. acnes and S. aureus which play key roles in the pathogenesis of acne and atopic dermatitis [14,15]. Moreover, A. annua extracts have also been shown to have strong anti-fungal activity [16].…”