Enhanced antimicrobial activity and pH-responsive sustained release of chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide nanofibrous membrane loading with allicin

Herein, the natural extract of garlic, allicin (Alli), was added into chitosan (CS)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/graphene oxide (GO) composites to develop the nanofibrous membranes with strong antibacterial activity and sustained-release properties by electrospinning technology. Vitro Alli release test showed that the release rate and amount of Alli could be regulated by the content of GO in the nanofibrous membrane. The antibacterial activity test against Staphylococcus aureus was performed and revealed the antibacterial activity of nanofibrous membranes loading with Alli. Compared with the nanofibrous membrane without GO, the CS/PVA/Alli nanofibrous membrane with 0.1 wt% GO still had nice antibacterial activity after 48 h. The water contact angle of nanofibrous membranes dropped significantly with the addition of GO and Alli, which showed the nanofibrous membrane had highly hydrophobic. The CS/PVA/GO nanofibrous membrane loading with Alli had great hygroscopicity and moisture-retention capacity. The essential characteristics of nanofibrous membranes were evaluated by SEM, FTIR, XRD. The above results indicate that the membrane has a strong antimicrobial activity and long-lasting efficacy, so the developed natural nanofibrous membranes hold potential as promising antibacterial wound dressing and tissue engineering.