Antibiofilm activity of synthesized electrospun core-shell nanofiber composites of PLA and PVA with silver nanoparticles

In recent work, we have demonstrated the significant enhancements in the mechanical, surface wetting, and cytocompatibility properties of core–shell nanofiber composites of Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA). This core/shell-structured PLA/PVA nanofibers combined the hydrophilic benefits of PVA and the attractive biological properties of PLA. In this paper, we expound the antibiofilm activity of this promising coaxial nanofiber composites by incorporating silver nanoparticles on the shell layer using coaxial electrospinning technique. The morphological analysis of the coaxial nanofiber mats was carried out using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The presence of silver nanoparticles was confirmed using x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The antibiofilm activity of the synthesized core–shell nanofiber membranes loaded with silver nanoparticles were investigated against two prokaryotes, namely Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Gram negative), and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive) and a eukaryote (Candida albicans). The results presented in this study revealed substantial improvements in the antibiofilm activity of synthesized core–shell membranes of PLA and PVA incorporated with silver nanoparticles compared to those coaxial membranes without silver nanoparticles. (paper)