Preparation and antibacterial properties of carboxymethyl chitosan/ZnO nanocomposite microspheres with enhanced biocompatibility

ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely studied as bacteriostatic reagents. In this work, ZnO NPs were loaded within carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) to prepare CMCS/ZnO nanocomposite microspheres by spray drying. The analysis showed that CMCS/ZnO microspheres with a diameter of 1-6 μm was notably as effective antibacterial activity as pure ZnO NPs in a dose dependent manner. Flow cytometry data supported CMCS/ZnO microspheres had half significantly less than pure ZnO NPs of cell apoptosis in the same concentration of ZnO. The study additionally presented that the chelating effect of chitosan on metal ions improved the biocompatibility of CMCS/ZnO microspheres. In one word, the present research will shed new light on the fabrication of anti-bacterial nanomaterials such as ZnO NPs with enhanced biocompatibility and efficient antibacterial property by a simple and cost-effective way.