Enhancing the antibacterial activity of light-activated surfaces containing crystal violet and ZnO nanoparticles: investigation of nanoparticle size, capping ligand, and dopants

Sehmi, S. K., Noimark, S., Pike, S. D., Bear, J. C., Peveler, W. J. , Williams, C. K., Shaffer, M. S. P., Allan, E., Parkin, I. P. and MacRobert, A. J. (2016) Enhancing the antibacterial activity of light-activated surfaces containing crystal violet and ZnO nanoparticles: investigation of nanoparticle size, capping ligand, and dopants. ACS Omega, 1(3), pp. 334-343. (doi: 10.1021/acsomega.6b00017) (PMID:27840856) (PMCID:PMC5098237)

Abstract

Healthcare-associated infections pose a serious risk for patients, staff, and visitors and are a severe burden on the National Health Service, costing at least £1 billion annually. Antimicrobial surfaces significantly contribute toward reducing the incidence of infections as they prevent bacterial adhesion and cause bacterial cell death. Using a simple, easily upscalable swell–encapsulation–shrink method, novel antimicrobial surfaces have been developed by incorporating metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and crystal violet (CV) dye into medical-grade polyurethane sheets. This study compares the bactericidal effects of polyurethane incorporating ZnO, Mg-doped ZnO, and MgO. All metal oxide NPs are well defined, with average diameters ranging from 2 to 18 nm. These materials demonstrate potent bactericidal activity when tested against clinically relevant bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, these composites are tested against an epidemic strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that is rife in hospitals throughout the UK. Furthermore, we have tested these materials using a low light intensity (∼500 lx), similar to that present in many clinical environments. The highest activity is achieved from polymer composites incorporating CV and ∼3 nm ZnO NPs, and the different performances of the metal oxides have been discussed.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The EPSRC is acknowledged for research funding by ICL (EP/ K035274/1 and EP/M013839/1) and by UCL (EP/M015157/ 1 and EP/M506448/1).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Peveler, Dr William
• Authors: Sehmi, S. K., Noimark, S., Pike, S. D., Bear, J. C., Peveler, W. J., Williams, C. K., Shaffer, M. S. P., Allan, E., Parkin, I. P., and MacRobert, A. J.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Biomedical Engineering
• Journal Name: ACS Omega
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• ISSN: 2470-1343
• ISSN (Online): 2470-1343
• Published Online: 06 September 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 American Chemical Society
• First Published: First published in ACS Omega 1(3): 334-343
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License