Antifungal activity of amidoxime surface functionalized electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers

• Viability of yeast cells on ASFPAN nanofibrous mat was investigated for the first time.
• Yeast cells kept alive on surfaces of both PAN and ASFPAN solid films.
• Yeast cells died on ASFPAN and PAN nanofibrous mat after 30 min contact.
• Differentiated cell adhesion might be the reason for the death of yeast cells.

Amidoxime surface functionalized polyacrylonitrile (ASFPAN) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solution followed by surface treatment in hydroxylamine aqueous solution. The interaction between ASFPAN nanofibrous mat and fungus (yeast) was investigated for the first time and viability of yeast cells on the nanofibrous mat was evaluated. The biological assay revealed that yeast cells died on the ASFPAN nanofibrous mats after 30 min of contact while they were still alive on both of PAN and ASFPAN cast film. The observations indicated that differentiated cell adhesion on ASFPAN nanofibrous mat might be the reason for the death of yeast cells.