title: Antibacterial properties of tough and strong electrospun PMMA/PEO fiber mats filled with Lanasol--a naturally occurring brominated substance.
abstract: A new type of antimicrobial, biocompatible and toughness enhanced ultra-thin fiber mats for biomedical applications is presented. The tough and porous fiber mats were obtained by electrospinning solution-blended poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polyethylene oxide (PEO), filled with up to 25 wt % of Lanasol--a naturally occurring brominated cyclic compound that can be extracted from red sea algae. Antibacterial effectiveness was tested following the industrial Standard JIS L 1902 and under agitated medium (ASTM E2149). Even at the lowest concentrations of Lanasol, 4 wt %, a significant bactericidal effect was seen with a 4-log (99.99%) reduction in bacterial viability against S. aureus, which is one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections in the world. The mechanical fiber toughness was insignificantly altered up to the maximum Lanasol concentration tested, and was for all fiber mats orders of magnitudes higher than electrospun fibers based on solely PMMA. This antimicrobial fiber system, relying on a dissolved antimicrobial agent (demonstrated by X-ray diffraction and Infrared (IR)-spectroscopy) rather than a dispersed and "mixed-in" solid antibacterial particle phase, presents a new concept which opens the door to tougher, stronger and more ductile antimicrobial fibers.
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Science, Fibre and Polymer Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden. riander@kth.se.
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Novel Materials and Nanotechnology Group, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food technology (IATA), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Avda. Agustı́n Escardino 7, 46980 Burjassot, Spain. antma@kth.se.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Abad
authors.affiliation: Novel Materials and Nanotechnology Group, Institute of Agrochemistry and Food technology (IATA), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Avda. Agustı́n Escardino 7, 46980 Burjassot, Spain. lagaron@iata.csic.es.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lagaron
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Science, Fibre and Polymer Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden. gedde@kth.se.
authors.forename: Ulf W
authors.initials: UW
authors.lastname: Gedde
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa. pemallon@sun.ac.za.
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Mallon
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Science, Fibre and Polymer Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden. rols@kth.se.
authors.forename: Richard T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.affiliation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Science, Fibre and Polymer Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden. mikaelhe@kth.se.
authors.forename: Mikael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hedenqvist
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001592:Benzyl Alcohols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002396:Catechols / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: C000598180:2,3-dibromo-4,5-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001592:Benzyl Alcohols; D002396:Catechols; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate