Green synthesis of silver-modified bacterial cellulose with enhanced antimicrobial activity for advanced biomedical...

In this study, pure BC was biosynthesized and modified with silver (Ag) impregnation under an eco-friendly photocatalytic reduction reaction. For BC production, Acetobacter sp. was isolated from raw mango vinegar produced by the fermentation process under optimized conditions. The Ag-doped BC (BC_Ag) was characterized and confirmed using XRD, STA, FTIR, SEM, and EDS. The SEM and EDS data showed the aggregation of silver ions on the surface of a web-like cellulose fiber network and silver deposition is proportional to the increasing dose of AgNO₃ treatment. The functionalized BC_Ag showed high hemocompatibility and tremendous activity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. A clear zone of inhibition was observed against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella abony, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans under the lowest BC_Ag concentration (0.0001 M treated). Whereas, in the long-term inhibition assay all concentrations of BC_Ag exhibited complete growth inhibition of the pathogens for 20 h and BC_Ag 0.01 M inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenes, S. abony, and C. albicans for over 100 h within the moist condition. Therefore, considering the extensive, long-term, and persistent bacteriostatic activity of synthesized silver doped-BC, it has a notable future in wound healing or other biomedical applications.