title: Biocidal activity of plasma modified electrospun polysulfone mats functionalized with polyethyleneimine-capped silver nanoparticles.
abstract: The incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into polymeric nanofibers has attracted a great deal of attention due to the strong antimicrobial activity that the resulting fibers exhibit. However, bactericidal efficacy of AgNP-coated electrospun fibrous mats has not yet been demonstrated. In this study, polysulfone (PSf) fibers were electrospun and surface-modified using an oxygen plasma treatment, which allowed for facile irreversible deposition of cationically charged polyethyleneimine (PEI)-AgNPs via electrostatic interactions. The PSf-AgNP mats were characterized for relative silver concentration as a function of plasma treatment time using ICP-MS and changes in contact angle. Plasma treatment of 60 s was the shortest time required for maximum loss of bacteria (Escherichia coli) viability. Time-dependent bacterial cytotoxicity studies indicate that the optimized PSf-AgNP mats exhibit a high level of inactivation against both gram negative bacteria, Escherichia coli, and gram positive bacteria, Bacillus anthracis and Staphylococcus aureus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States. schiffman@ecs.umass.edu
authors.forename: Jessica D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Schiffman
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Emmanuel P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Giannelis
authors.forename: Menachem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elimelech
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000187:drug effects; D004560:Electricity; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000187:drug effects; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000737:chemistry*; D011094:Polyethyleneimine / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013450:Sulfones / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D058626:Plasma Gases; D011108:Polymers; D013450:Sulfones; C017662:polysulfone P 1700; D012834:Silver; D011094:Polyethyleneimine