Assessment of Composite with Fibers as a Support for Antibacterial Nanomaterials: A Case Study of Bacterial Cellulose, Polylactide and Usual Textile

To obtain composite fiber materials with antibacterial properties, the samples of bacterial cellulose (BC), polylactide (PLA) and usual fibers (FM) were modified by poly-ε-caprolactone or polyhydroxybutyrate and then functionalized by the enzyme-polyelectrolyte complex of quorum-quenching enzymes, such as hexahistidine-tagged organophosphorus hydrolase with poly(glutamic acid) or by suspension of tantalum nanoparticles (Ta NPs) in ethanol. The structures of the composite fibers were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. It was shown that the introduction of additional natural polymers into the matrix of BC, PLA and FM resulted in decreasing of the structural porosity. Comparative studies of the antibacterial activity of the composite materials were carried out using Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis cells. The decrease of adenosine triphosphate concentration in cell samples loaded onto fiber materials was applied as a measurable characteristic of antibacterial effect typical for the new fiber materials. The profound improvement of antibacterial activity was determined in composite materials with polyhydroxybutyrate and Ta NPs.