Long-term antimicrobial effect of nisin released from electrospun triaxial fiber membranes

Publication date: Available online 16 February 2017
Source:Acta Biomaterialia
Author(s): Daewoo Han, Shalli Sherman, Shaun Filocamo, Andrew J. Steckl
Electrospun membranes encapsulating nisin in the core of multi-layer coaxial fibers, with a hydrophobic PCL intermediate layer and a hygroscopic cellulose acetate sheath, have been demonstrated to provide long-term antimicrobial activity combined with a hygroscopic outer layer. Antimicrobial performance has been evaluated using modified versions of the antimicrobial textile test AATCC 100 and AATCC 147 against Staphylococcus aureus. The AATCC 147 tests indicate that antimicrobial activity persists up to 7 days. The quantitative analysis from the AATCC 100 test indicates that tri-layer coaxial electrospun fiber membranes provide > 99.99% bacteria kill (4 log kill) for up to five days. This indicates that the nisin-incorporated triaxial fibers have excellent biocidal activities for up to 5 days and then provide biostatic activity for 2 or more days. Compared with other types of electrospun membranes, such as core-sheath coaxial ("coaxial") and single homogenous fibers, tri-layer coaxial ("triaxial") fiber membranes provided more robust and more sustained antimicrobial activity. Single fibers with nisin showed relatively weak activity and only for one day. Coaxial fiber membranes exhibited antimicrobial activity for a long period, but their biocidal activity was much weaker than that of triaxial fiber membranes, and only exhibited > 99% bacteria kill (2 log kill) after 1 day of exposure.Statement of significanceThe increase in drug resistant pathogens has driven the need for alternative treatments that are effective against resistant bacteria and do not contribute to drug resistance. Nisin is an excellent model bacteriocin for antimicrobials because of its size and mode of action, and has been extensively used as FDA-approved food preservatives without any problematic resistance growth in bacteria during past decades. Nisin-containing fibers have been previously reported using conventional electrospinning but sustained antimicrobial effect has not been obtained. Here, we report the encapsulation of nisin into a multi-layered nanofiber construct using triaxial electrospinning in order to obtain a long-term antimicrobial activity. This will be highly beneficial in many applications, such as protective textiles, food packaging and cancer therapy.

Graphical abstract

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