Synthesis and characterization of bacterial cellulose/PAni composite for antibacterial and biomedical application

Abstract

In this study, a hydrogel composite based on bacterial cellulose (BC) and polyaniline (PAni) was synthesized and characterized and loaded with berberine hydrochloride (BH) drug through chemical reduction method. The polymerization of aniline on BC fibers occurred in situ in the presence of ammonium persulfate (APS) to form BC/PAni composite. BC/PAni composite was characterized for various structural and physico-chemical properties through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). According to XRD analysis, the drug was found and covered the composite. SEM images showed the favored shape of drug as triangle which is a benign shape for antibacterial activity. The antibacterial activity of the obtained BC/PAni/BH composite was also evaluated against Gram positive bacteria Pseudomonas auroginosa (P. auroginasa) and Gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli), and fungi Candida albicanis (C. albicans) using the paper disk diffusion method. BC/PAni composites loaded with BH were found to be effective against bacteria and fungi compared to pure BC, BC/PAni, and BC/BH. The cytotoxicity test used indirect contact method indicated that BC and BC/PAni hydrogel composite had good biocompatibility.

Key words: Bacterial cellulose; polyaniline; Composite, Antimicrobial activity; cytotoxicity