LAUSR

Antimicrobial fibers based on biodegradable polymers, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), were prepared by electrospinning. For this purpose, a biodegradable/biobased polyitaconate containing azoles groups (PTTI) was incorporated at 10 wt% into the electrospinning formulations. The resulting fibers functionalized with azole moieties were uniform and free of beads. Then, the accessible azoles groups were subjected to N-alkylation, treatment that provides cationic azolium groups with antibacterial activity at the surface of fibers. The positive charge density, roughness and wettability of the cationic fibers were evaluated and compared with flat films. It was confirmed these parameters exert an important effect on the antimicrobial properties, as well as the length of the alkylating agent and the hydrophobicity of the matrix. The quaternized PLA/PTTI fibers exhibit the highest efficiency against the tested bacteria, yielding a 4-Log reduction against S. aureus and 1.7-Log against MRSA. Then, biocompatibility and bioactivity of the fibers were evaluated in terms of adhesion, morphology and viability of fibroblasts. The results showed no cytotoxic effect of the samples, however, a cytostatic effect was appreciated, which was ascribed to the strong electrostatic interactions between the positive charge at the fiber surface and the negative charge of the cell membranes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.