In Situ Growth of Silver Nanoparticles on Chitosan Matrix for the Synthesis of Hybrid Electrospun Fibers: Analysis of Microstructural and Mechanical Properties

Abstract

A viable alternative for the next generation of wound dressings is the preparation of electrospun fibers from biodegradable polymers in combination with inorganic nanoparticles. A poly(vinyl alcohol)-chitosan-silver nanoparticles (PVA-CTS-Ag NPs) system has been developed for antimicrobial and wound healing applications. Here, the preparation of PVA-CTS-Ag electrospun fibers using a two-step process is reported in order to analyze changes in the microstructural, mechanical, and antibacterial properties and confirm their potential application in the biomedical field. The Ag nanoparticles were well-dispersed into the chitosan matrix and their cubic structure after the electrospinning process was also retained. The Ag NPs displayed an average diameter of ~33 nm into the CTS matrix, while the size increased up to 213 nm in the PVA-CTS-Ag(NPs) fibers. It was observed that strong chemical interactions exist between organic (CTS) and inorganic phases through nitrogenous groups and the oxygen of the glycosidic bonds. A defect-free morphology was obtained in the PVA-CTS-Ag NPs final fibers with an important enhancement of the mechanical properties as well as of the antibacterial activity compared with pure PVA-CTS electrospun fibers. The results of antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus confirmed that PVA-CTS-Ag(NPs) fibers can be potentially used as a material for biomedical applications.

Nanoparticle-Containing Wound Dressing: Antimicrobial and Healing Effects

“…The formulated films displayed the growth inhibition zone diameters of 8.33 mm and 9 mm for the S. aureus and P. aeruginosa bacteria, respectively. At the same time, the obtained values were lower than in [ 25 ] for S. aureus and lower than that of commercially available antibiotics amoxicillin (13.7 for S. aureus ) and amikacin (19.7 for P. aeruginosa ).…”

“…Santiago-Castillo et al [ 25 ] the antibacterial properties of nanofibers based on high molecular weight polyvinyl alcohol (146–186 kDa), chitosan (190–310 kDa) and cube-shaped AgNPs were investigated. A combination of chitosan with polyvinyl alcohol was used since the solutions of chitosan are highly viscous at room temperature due to the polycationic nature of chitosan in solutions and due to the rigid structure, which complicated the production of fiber by means of electrospinning.…”

“…In contrast to Santiago-Castillo et al [ 25 ], the authors of [ 26 ] used castor oil for loading of the composite instead of chitosan in order to increase the antibacterial properties of the polyvinyl alcohol and AgNPs hydrogels. The silver nanoparticles at that were synthesized in the presence of the Mentha piperita leaf extract and then dispersed in the polymer matrix.…”

Advanced Metallized Nanofibers for Biomedical Applications

“…Karina Santiago-Castillo et al dispersed Ag nanoparticles in a chitosan matrix and immobilized their cubic structure after electrostatic spinning. [34] The PVA-CTS-Ag nanoparticles prepared by the two-step method have been experimentally demonstrated to be developed for antimicrobial and wound healing applications. In addition, some researchers have prepared Ag as Ag-MOF, which can be loaded with some antibacterial and hemostatic drugs while stabilizing the structure.…”

Evaluation of strategies to incorporate silver nanoparticles into electrospun microfibers for the preparation of wound dressings and their antimicrobial activity

“…The proportion and concentration of the polymeric blend are the most important factors that have been shown to have a more significant influence on the resulting diameter of the fibers, the addition of a bioactive molecule or compound (Ag + ) increases the conductivity of the polymers blend in the electrospinning process, permitting the reduction of the collection distance [28][29][30]. The morphology and structure of the fibers loaded with AgNPs did not seem to have changed compared to the PCL-PVPcontrol sample.…”