Surface modification of electrospun wound dressing material by Fe2O3 nanoparticles incorporating Lactobacillus strains for enhanced antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity

Demand for development of advanced antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents is growing due to the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microbial infections. New antimicrobial surface coatings comprised of the synbiotics (the mixture of probiotics and prebiotics) and biologically synthesized nanoparticles can be an alternative therapy. In this study, two hybrids Lactobacillus plantarum-and Lactobacillus acidophilus-green Fe2O3 nanoparticles (Fe2O3 NPs-LAB) were fabricated for coating the polyvinyl alcohol-prebiotic gum arabic-polycaprolacton nanofibers surface (PVA-GA-PCL), which introduced the Fe2O3 NPs-LAB@PVA-GA-PCL as an emerging class of wound dressing materials. The physicochemical properties of Fe2O3 NPs-LAB hybrids and Fe2O3 NPs-LAB@PVA-GA-PCL were characterized using FE-SEM, EDS, EM, FTIR, XRD and ICP. The results showed spherical Fe2O3 NPs with a mean size diameter of < 100 nm incorporating LAB which revealed great antimicrobial potentials against pathogens Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. These results not only exhibited the biocompatibility of coated nanofibers towards the mouse embryonic fibroblast cell lines, but also showed its antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy against the pathogens. The highest growth inhibition of Fe2O3 NPs-LAB@PVA-GA-PCL was obtained against C. albicans. Interestingly, the incorporation of probiotic Lactobacillus and prebiotic GA, as a synbiotic hybrid, revealed synergistic antimicrobial effects, implying their therapeutic potential for wound healing applications.

Automated summary

Demand for the development of advanced antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents is increasing due to the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microbial infections. This study developed a new antimicrobial surface coating material and demonstrated its excellent antimicrobial efficacy and biocompatibility for wound dressing applications.