Antimicrobial PAA/PAH Electrospun Fiber Containing Green Synthesized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Wound Healing

Abstract

Wound infections are the main complication when treating skin wounds. This work reports a novel antimicrobial material using green synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) incorporated in polymeric fibers for wound healing purposes. ZnONPs are a promising antimicrobial nanomaterial with high activity against a range of microorganisms, including drug-resistant bacteria. The electrospun fibers were obtained using polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) and were loaded with ZnONPs green synthesized from Ilex paraguariensis leaves with a spherical shape and ~18 nm diameter size. The fibers were produced using the electrospinning technique and SEM images showed a uniform morphology with a diameter of ~230 nm. EDS analysis proved a consistent dispersion of Zn in the fiber mat, however, particle agglomerates with varying sizes were observed. FTIR spectra confirmed the interaction of PAA carboxylic groups with the amine of PAH molecules. Although ZnONPs presented higher antimicrobial activity against S. aureus than E. coli, resazurin viability assay revealed that the PAA/PAH/ZnONPs composite successfully inhibited both bacteria strains growth. Photomicrographs support these results where bacteria clusters were observed only in the control samples. The PAA/PAH/ZnONPs composite developed presents antimicrobial activity and mimics the extracellular matrix morphology of skin tissue, showing potential for wound healing treatments.

Nanoparticle-Containing Wound Dressing: Antimicrobial and Healing Effects

“…ZnO NPs inhibit the growth of wound microbial population, improve healing, promote tissue regeneration and wound contraction. Bandeira et al [ 44 ] synthesized nanofibers based on polyacrylic acid and polyallylamine hydrochloride modified with spherical ZnO NPs 18 ± 5 nm in diameter by means of electrospinning. The nanoparticles were synthesized by green method using the Ilex paraguariensis leaf extract.…”

Recent advances in green synthesized nanoparticles for bactericidal and wound healing applications

“…A novel antimicrobial material was fabricated by loading green synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) in an electronspun polyacrylic acid (PAA) and polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH) polymeric fibers for wound healing application [ 26 ]. ZnO NPs exhibited high antimicrobial activity, covering a large variety of microorganisms that comprise, drug-resistant bacteria and are less cytotoxic against L929 fibroblast cells of the mouse.…”

“…Despite the consistent dispersion of ZnO, particle agglomerates of varying sizes were observed and this drawback (particle agglomeration) needs to be addressed for successful usage in the future ( Fig. 3 a–d [ 26 ]). Prosopis cineraria (PC) leaf extract was used to biofabricate zinc oxide (ZnPC) and iron oxide (FePC) NPs, by the co-precipitation method.…”

“…Therefore, there is a need to develop new antimicrobial agents that are cost-effective, non-toxic to normal cells and proffer minimal resistance in bacteria; the novel green-synthesized agents also must have greater efficacy against antibiotic-resistant bacteria [ 21 ]. According to reports, skin wounds can be healed with inorganic (CuO, CoO, AgO, Ag, ZnO, TiO 2 ) nanoparticles, which are synthesized via the green processes [ [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] ]. Among them, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have gained significant popularity in the biomedical field, due to their versatile activity against a broad range of pathogenic bacteria and little or no toxicity towards mammalian cells [ 28 ].…”

Multifunctional fibrous wound dressings for refractory wound healing

“…ZnO nanoparticles are also used widely in wound dressings due to their great antibacterial activity, low cytotoxicity, and capability to promote the proliferation of fibroblasts 81 . Hsan et al fabricated CS/PVA/ZnO nanofibrous mats by blending electrospinning technique.…”