FORMATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF ANTIMICROBIAL DEXTRAN NANOFIBERS

M.M. SHAWKI *, A.M. HEREBA*, ABEER GHAZAL**

* Bio-Medical Physics department, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Egypt
** Microbiology department, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Egypt

Abstract. Electrospinning is a fiber spinning technique driven by a high-voltage electrostatic field. Ultra-fine dextran nanofibers (DNF) mats were fabricated by electrospinning, using water as the solvent. Antimicrobial DNF were formed by fabricating moxifloxacin antibiotic loaded on the DNF to serve as antimicrobial dextran-moxifloxacin nanofibers (DMNF) mats. Characterization of DNF and DMNF were performed. The moxifloxacin release from DMNF and its antimicrobial effectiveness were studied. The DMNF showed a wide antimicrobial effect against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and that accompanied with sustained moxifloxacin release from the DMNF mat. The potential bio-medical application for the formed nanofibers was discussed.
Key words: electrospinning, dextran, moxifloxacin, nanofibers, antimicrobial

Corresponding author’s e-mail: mamdouh971@hotmail.com

Full text: PDF