Antimicrobial activities of bacterial cellulose – Silver montmorillonite nanocomposites for wound healing

• Published in: Materials Science & Engineering C Vol. 116; p. 111152
• Main Authors: Horue, Manuel, Cacicedo, Maximiliano L., Fernandez, Mariela A., Rodenak-Kladniew, Boris, Torres Sánchez, Rosa M., Castro, Guillermo R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.11.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antimicrobial activity; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Bacterial cellulose; Bentonite; Biocompatibility; Biofilms; Cellulose; Cytotoxicity; Fourier analysis; Fourier transforms; Infrared analysis; Ion exchange; Materials science; Metal Nanoparticles; Montmorillonite; Nanocomposites; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Rehydration; Scanning electron microscopy; Silver; Silver nitrate; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Thermal analysis; Toxicity; Wound Healing; X-Ray Diffraction; Silver; Bacterial cellulose; Antimicrobial activity; Montmorillonite; Nanocomposites
• ISSN: 0928-4931; 1873-0191
• DOI: 10.1016/j.msec.2020.111152

A nanocomposite based on bacterial cellulose (BC) containing montmorillonite (MMT) modified with silver (BC-MMT-Ag) was developed to be used as potential scaffold for wound healing. Montmorillonite was suspended in silver nitrate solution to incorporate silver in the matrix by ion exchange. The derivative silver clay suspension was used to modify bacterial cellulose membranes by ex situ technique. The BC nanocomposite was analyzed by thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared and electron dispersion spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction, and rehydration capacity. The antimicrobial activity of the silver montmorillonite-bacterial cellulose nanocomposite was challenged in cultures of Gram(+) Staphylococcus aureus and Gram(−) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and showed inhibition of growth in agar plates and biofilm formation as revealed by live-dead assay. Cytotoxicity of BC nanocomposites containing 1% to 25% of MMT-Ag showed good in vitro biocompatibility with L929 fibroblast cells. [Display omitted] •Scaffold of bacterial cellulose and silver clay was developed to treat skin wounds.•Clay containing silver produced by ion exchange showed antimicrobial activity.•Incorporation of MMT-Ag on BC increases water content and scaffold stability.•BC-MMT-Ag displays high antimicrobial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.•BC containing 1 to25% MMT-Ag scaffolds are biocompatible with L929 fibroblasts.