Investigation through the antimicrobial activity Of electrospun Pcl nanofiber mats with green synthesized Ag-Fe nanoparticles.

Abstract

Wound or device infections with drug resistant microorganisms are a major challenge in medicine that could increase morbidity and mortality rate, with a great financial burden on the health care system. Nanofibers with antimicrobial coating have been widely applied in wound dressing and tissue engineering to decrease the risk of infections. In the present study, Ag–Fe core-shell NPs were green synthesized by applying Ducrosia anethifolia plant extracted as a stabilizing and reducing agent. The novel nanocomposites by a combination of Ag–Fe and polymeric polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers were produced. Synthesized nanoparticles and nanocomposites were characterized using several physical and mechanical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering method (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible absorption spectroscopy (UV–vis), and tensile test. The mean size of the synthesized Ag and Ag–Fe core-shell nanoparticles were 4.1 and 18.4 nm. Silver nanoparticles were successfully coated with Fe shell and nearly spherical core-shell shape. SEM images showed that PCL nanofibers have an average size of 265 nm. The results revealed that the increase in the Ag–Fe core-shell NPs' concentration leads to the smaller size of nanofibers. The antimicrobial properties of Ag–Fe core-shell and PCL/Ag–Fe nanocomposites were evaluated against some clinically important bacteria and fungi. Also, the cytotoxicity of PCL/Ag–Fe nanocomposites on fibroblast cells Natural man (NHDF) was assessed for 24, 48, and 72 h. The results of the study confirmed minimal cellular toxicity and considerable antimicrobial properties of green synthesized PCL/Ag–Fe nanocomposites, especially against some drug resistant pathogens, which could be promising new insight to improve the PCL-based composites applications in wound dressings or medical devices.