Hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility of pristine and plasma-treated silver-zeolite-chitosan composites

• Published in: Applied surface science Vol. 432; pp. 324 - 331
• Main Authors: Taaca, Kathrina Lois M., Vasquez, Magdaleno R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 28-02-2018
• Subjects: Chitosan; Composites; Plasma treatment; Silver; Zeolite; Silver; Composites; Zeolite; Chitosan; Plasma treatment
• ISSN: 0169-4332; 1873-5584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2017.04.034

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•AgZ-Ch composites exhibited antibacterial activity due to the presence of AgZ.•Plasma treatment improved wettability and surface adhesion of AgZ-Ch composites.•AgZ-Ch composites possess cytocompatible and blood clotting abilities.•Pristine AgZ-Ch composites have wound healing applications potential.•Plasma-treated AgZ-Ch composites have potential as tissue scaffolds.
Silver-exchanged zeolite-chitosan (AgZ-Ch) composites with varying AgZ content were prepared by solvent casting and modified under argon (Ar) plasma excited by a 13.56MHz radio frequency (RF) power source. Silver (Ag) was successfully incorporated in a natural zeolite host without losing its antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The AgZ particles were incorporated into a chitosan matrix without making significant changes in the matrix structure. The composites also exhibited antibacterial sensitivity due to the inclusion of AgZ. Plasma treatment enhanced the surface wettability of polar and nonpolar test liquids of the composites. The average increase in total surface free energy after treatment was around 49% with the polar component having a significant change. Cytocompatibility tests showed at least 87% cell viability for pristine and plasma-treated composites comparable with supplemented RPMI as positive control. Hemocompatibility tests revealed that pristine composites does not promote hemolysis and the blood clotting ability is less than 10min. Coupled with antibacterial property, the fabricated composites have promising biomedical applications.