Bioactive Khadi Cotton Fabric by Functional Designing and Immobilization of Nanosilver Nanogels

Abstract

The antimicrobial finishing is the most suitable alternative for designing medical textiles for biomedical applications. The present investigation aims at the preparation of skin-contacting khadi cotton fabric that would prevent microbial infection and offer excellent skin compatibility. A simple approach has been followed for the preparation of bioactive nanogels for antimicrobial finishing of the khadi cotton fabric. Bioactive nanogels were synthesized by using aloe vera (AV) as a reducing agent for silver ions in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). PVA stabilizes the growth of silver nanoparticles, which is influenced by the variation in the reaction time and the temperature. Nanogels were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The nanogels exhibited strong antimicrobial behavior against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, as confirmed by the colony count method. Almost 100% antibacterial behavior was observed for the nanosilver content of 10 mM. The nanogel-finished khadi fabric showed bactericidal properties against both S. aureus and E. coli. The nanogel-finished fabric exhibited high hydrophilicity allowing complete water droplet penetration within 10 s as compared to 136 s in virgin fabric. Moreover, the skin irritation study of the fabric on male Swiss albino mice did not show any appearance of dermal toxicity. These results demonstrated that the bioactive finished khadi fabric is appropriate as skin contacting material in human health care.

A Mini-Review of Synthetic Organic and Nanoparticle Antimicrobial Agents for Coatings in Textile Applications

“…To test the possible toxicity on skin, Swiss albino mice were used. Results indicated no skin irritations and thus it was confirmed that the nanogel-coated fabrics are congruous with human skin [123].…”

“…In their study, researchers Verma et al [123] developed an eco-friendly nanogel in order to encompass and secure the AgNPs inside its mass. This nanogel can be used as a coating to create antimicrobial textiles and, meanwhile, secure the adhesion of AgNPs inside it and on the fabric.…”

Silver Nanoparticle-Embedded Nanogels for Infection-Resistant Surfaces

“…Similarly, an antimicrobial finished khadi fabric with bioactive nanogels was synthesized with silver ion reduction in the presence of Aloe vera and a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel matrix. 18 Functionalization with such bioactive nanogels exhibited almost complete microbial reduction and showed no toxicity in the skin irritation test. Recently, chemical modification of cotton gauze was carried out by cationization with chitosan and anionic modification with carboxymethylation, followed by the immobilization of hydroxyapatite and AgNPs.…”

“…Such finished fabrics exhibited slight migration of the AgNPs during the washing process and showed significant antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. Similarly, an antimicrobial finished khadi fabric with bioactive nanogels was synthesized with silver ion reduction in the presence of Aloe vera and a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel matrix . Functionalization with such bioactive nanogels exhibited almost complete microbial reduction and showed no toxicity in the skin irritation test.…”

Antimicrobial finishing of polypropylene fabric using bioactive nanogels

“…Choosing suitable antimicrobial agents and coating materials is critical in designing these textiles as bioactive fabrics. [6][7][8] Biopolymers are natural polymers that offer enormous possibilities in different areas of the biomedical field due to their multifunctional structure. Their respective applications are determined by the unique properties they own.…”