Production of chitosan/gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds incorporated with biosynthesized Ag-Fe nanoparticles by electrospinning and investigation of their antibacterial activities

In the global world, wound or device infections caused by drug-resistant microorganisms are a serious problem that not only increases morbidity and mortality rates in medicine, but also creates a large financial burden on the healthcare system. Antimicrobial three-dimensional nanofibrous scaffolds have been widely applied as wound dressings to reduce the risk of infection. In this study, biopolymeric nanofibrous scaffolds containing bimetallic silver-iron nanoparticles (Ag-FeNPs) synthesized in green with H. Perforatum leaf extract were evaluated as antimicrobial materials in wound healing treatment. First, bimetallic nanoparticles were synthesized at room temperature using H. Perforatum leaf extract, and the synthesized nanoparticles were then analyzed using various analytical methods. Microstructural analysis revealed that biogenic nanoparticles with a spherical shape and an average size of 60.98±18.09 nm were uniformly anchored to CTS/GEL nanofibers. Then, Ag-FeNPs with various composition ratios were incorporated into the CTS/GEL matrix to improve its wettability, thermal and antibacterial properties. The nanofibrous scaffolds were characterized by FT-IR, FE-SEM, TGA analysis and water contact angle measurement. Overall, the addition of CTS and Ag-FeNPs to the GEL matrix resulted in a decrease in fiber diameter (171.47±55.96 nm). Ag-FeNP added nanofibrous samples exhibited higher hydrophilicity (WCA value of 60.72° for GEL/CTS/Ag-FeNP(2:1)) with increasing Ag content. Additionally, antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was performed on Ag-FeNPS and CTS/GEL/Ag-FeNP samples. The synthesized Ag-FeNPs showed antibacterial activity against both microorganisms, especially E. coli. The nanofibrous scaffold sample loaded with Ag-FeNP samples with the highest Ag composition resulted in a significant reduction in bacterial colony formation. The results showed that CTS/GEL/Ag-FeNP nanofibrous scaffolds could be a promising material for biomedical applications such as wound healing.ır