title: Surface chemical and biological characterization of flax fabrics modified with silver nanoparticles for biomedical applications.
abstract: Silver nanophases are increasingly used as effective antibacterial agent for biomedical applications and wound healing. This work aims to investigate the surface chemical composition and biological properties of silver nanoparticle-modified flax substrates. Silver coatings were deposited on textiles through the in situ photo-reduction of a silver solution, by means of a large-scale apparatus. The silver-coated materials were characterized through X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), to assess the surface elemental composition of the coatings, and the chemical speciation of both the substrate and the antibacterial nanophases. A detailed investigation of XPS high resolution regions outlined that silver is mainly present on nanophases' surface as Ag2O. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were also carried out, in order to visualize the distribution of silver particles on the fibers. The materials were also characterized from a biological point of view in terms of antibacterial capability and cytotoxicity. Agar diffusion tests and bacterial enumeration tests were performed on Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In vitro cytotoxicity tests were performed through the extract method on murine fibroblasts in order to verify if the presence of the silver coating affected the cellular viability and proliferation. Durability of the coating was also assessed, thus confirming the successful scaling up of the process, which will be therefore available for large-scale production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy. Electronic address: federica.paladini@unisalento.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Paladini
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Picca
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sportelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cioffi
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sannino
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pollini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000009:adverse effects; D051379:Mice; D056951:Photoelectron Spectroscopy; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D012834:Silver
keywords: Ag nanoparticle; Antibacterial; Textile; XPS