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Published on: July 16, 2020
PCN-224 Nanoparticle/Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Membrane for Light-Driven Bacterial Inactivation
Xiaolin Nie1, Shuanglin Wu1, Tanveer Hussain2
1Key Laboratory of Eco-Textiles, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, China.
Abstract:
Increasing issues of pathogen drug resistance and spreading pose a serious threat to the ability to treat common infectious diseases, which encourages people to explore effective technology to meet the challenge. Photodynamic antibacterial inactivation (aPDI) is being explored for inactivating pathogens, which could be used as a novel approach to prevent this threat. Here, porphyrin-embedded MOF material (PCN-224) with photodynamic effect was synthesized, then the PCN-224 nanoparticles (NPs) were embedded into PAN nanofibers with an electrospinning process (PAN-PCN nanofiber membrane). On the one hand, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers help to improve the stability of PCN-224 NPs, which could avoid their leakage. On the other, the PAN nanofibers are used as a support material to load bactericidal PCN-224 NPs, realizing recycling after bacterial elimination. An antibacterial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) study demonstrated that the PAN-PCN 0.6% nanofiber membrane processed 3.00 log unit elimination towards a E. coli bacterial strain and 4.70 log unit towards a S. aureus strain under illumination. A mechanism study revealed that this efficient bacterial elimination was due to singlet oxygen (1O2). Although the materials are highly phototoxic, an MTT assay showed that the as fabricated nanofiber membranes had good biocompatibility in the dark, and the cell survival rates were all above 85%. Taken together, this work provided an application prospect of nanofibers with an aPDI effect to deal with the issues of pathogen drug resistance and spreading.
Insights
This study developed a novel nanofiber membrane embedding porphyrin-MOF nanoparticles for antibacterial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI). The material effectively eliminates E. coli and S. aureus, offering a promising solution for drug-resistant infections.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biotechnology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Rising antimicrobial resistance and pathogen spread necessitate innovative therapeutic strategies.
- Photodynamic antibacterial inactivation (aPDI) presents a promising approach to combat infectious diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and evaluate a novel nanofiber membrane incorporating porphyrin-embedded metal-organic framework (MOF) material (PCN-224) for aPDI.
- To assess the antibacterial efficacy and biocompatibility of the developed PAN-PCN nanofiber membrane.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of porphyrin-embedded MOF material (PCN-224).
- Embedding PCN-224 nanoparticles into polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers via electrospinning to create PAN-PCN nanofiber membranes.
- Antibacterial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) assays against E. coli and S. aureus.
- Mechanism study focusing on singlet oxygen generation.
- MTT assay to evaluate biocompatibility.
Main Results:
- The PAN-PCN nanofiber membrane demonstrated significant bacterial elimination: 3.00 log units for E. coli and 4.70 log units for S. aureus under illumination.
- Singlet oxygen (1O2) was identified as the primary mechanism for bacterial inactivation.
- The nanofiber membranes exhibited good biocompatibility in the dark, with cell survival rates exceeding 85%.
Conclusions:
- The developed PAN-PCN nanofiber membrane effectively utilizes aPDI for bacterial inactivation.
- This material offers a stable, recyclable, and biocompatible platform for combating drug-resistant pathogens.
- The study highlights the potential of aPDI-enhanced nanofibers as a novel strategy against infectious diseases.

