posted on 2021-12-24, 05:43authored byKaplan Kirakci, Daniel Bůžek, Petra Peer, Vojtěch Liška, Jiří Mosinger, Ivana Křížová, Matouš Kloda, Soňa Ondrušová, Kamil Lang, Jan Demel
The
fight against pathogenic bacteria and viruses represents a
challenging task requiring the development of innovative materials.
The design of water-responsive disinfecting surfaces constitutes a
pertinent endeavor to limit the spread of infectious pathogens that
strive in wet environments and are often carried by the droplets or
aerosols of biological fluids. In this context, we designed a polymeric
nanostructured membrane which, when in contact with water, was able
to release elemental iodine, a potent antimicrobial agent. The membrane
was based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)
electrospun nanofibers containing nanoparticles of an archetypal metal–organic
framework (MOF), UiO-66. The gas adsorption capacity of the MOF container
was preserved upon incorporation into the polymeric nanofibers, which
also exerted a protective effect against the fast structural collapse
of UiO-66 in phosphate-buffered saline, a model for biological fluids.
The membrane loaded high amounts of iodine via gas diffusion and its
release was (mostly) triggered by contact with the aqueous medium.
The antibacterial activity of the membrane was tested against the Escherichia coli strain DH5α and revealed prompt
and robust disinfecting properties. The membrane also efficiently
inhibited the infectivity of viral model vesicular stomatitis virus
glycoprotein pseudotyped HIV-1 particles in HEK-293 cells in a short
time. The observed synergistic effects between the MOF container and
the polymeric support material constitute attractive features for
the development of MOF-based materials for biological applications.