Antimicrobial coatings on polyethylene terephthalate based on curcumin/cyclodextrin complex embedded in a multilayer...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Bacterial contamination poses a significant global health challenge.
• Developing effective antimicrobial surfaces is crucial for infection control.
• Natural compounds like curcumin offer potential antimicrobial properties but require stabilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create an antimicrobial coating using curcumin-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film.
• To investigate the antimicrobial efficacy and properties of the developed coating.
• To explore the potential of photoactivated antimicrobial surfaces.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of multilayer coatings on PET film via electrostatic deposition of poly-l-lysine (PLL), poly-l-glutamic acid (PLGA), and carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CMBCD).
• Loading of curcumin into cyclodextrin inclusion complexes within the coating architecture.
• Analysis of surface morphology, structure, and elemental composition using SEM and EDX.
• Evaluation of antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli in dark and light conditions.
• Assessment of curcumin release and photodynamic properties after cross-linking.

Main Results:

• Non-cross-linked coatings exhibited bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli in the dark.
• Antimicrobial activity was significantly enhanced upon illumination with white light.
• Curcumin was released from non-cross-linked coatings as a cyclodextrin inclusion complex.
• Cross-linked coatings lost dark antimicrobial activity but retained photodynamic properties.

Conclusions:

• Stabilized, cross-linked curcumin-loaded coatings demonstrate potential as photoactivated antimicrobial surfaces.
• This technology can be a basis for developing surfaces to control bacterial contamination and spread.
• The developed coatings offer a promising strategy for creating light-activated antimicrobial materials.