Light-activated polymethylmethacrylate nanofibers with antibacterial activity

• The novelty of proposed work can be summared as follow:
• Silver nanoparticles/meso-tetraphenylporphyrin embedded polymethylmethacrylate nanofibers were obtained for the first time.
• Light triggering of PMMA fibers leads to sufficient release of AgNPs or their agglomeration, depending on the light source.
• Release of AgNPs leads to appearance of pronounced antimicrobial activity, which can be switched on/off by the illumination.

The creation of an antibacterial material with triggerable properties enables us to avoid the overuse or misuse of antibacterial substances and, thus, prevent the emergence of resistant bacterial strains. As a potential light-activated antibacterial material, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) nanofibers doped with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) were prepared by electrospinning. TPP was chosen as an effectively reactive oxygen species (ROS) producer. Antibacterial tests on Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) showed the excellent light-triggerable antibacterial activity of the doped materials. Upon light irradiation at the wavelength corresponding to the TPP absorption peak (405 nm), antibacterial activity dramatically increased, mostly due to the release of AgNPs from the polymer matrix. Furthermore, under prolonged light irradiation, the AgNPs/TPP/PMMA nanofibers, displayed enhanced longevity and photothermal stability. Thus, our results suggest that the proposed material is a promising option for the photodynamic inactivation of bacteria.

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