Resistance of pathogens towards commonly used drugs endangers the survival of mankind. Nosocomial infections lead to increased treatment duration and costs. New classes of antimicrobial agents based on natural plant extracts offer valuable solutions due to their naturally evolved synergistic mechanisms in the fight against microorganisms. Aloe Vera Barbadensis Miller (AV) is used since centuries against ailments due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory properties. Iodine is well known and used traditionally as antimicrobial agent, despite causing skin discoloration and irritation. Iodine based microbicides have the disadvantage of short term action due to uncontrolled iodine release. In our previous work, smart triiodides with halogen bonding were formed within the PVP matrix by adding iodine (I2) and sodium iodide (NaI) to the AV-PVP hybrid. The antimicrobial properties were enhanced through synergism by including the natural plant polyphenols. We used different herbs and extracted their polyphenols (PP) by infusion in water and solid-liquid extraction in ethanol. We combined pure AV gel and different herbal extracts with iodine through a cost-effective and easy one-pot synthesis with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as encapsulating and stabilizing agent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy verified the composition of AV-PVP-PP-I2. The antimicrobial testing by disc diffusion method against 10 reference microbial strains showed excellent to intermediate antimicrobial activity in discs and sutures.. The triiodide moieties within the biomaterial induced controlled release of iodine and resulted in enhanced microbial inhibition enabling the potential use for the prevention of surgical site infections in sutures, as wound care product, and disinfectants.

Plant polyphenols aloe vera barbadensis Miller iodine hybrids and their antimicrobial properties with the potential to prevent surgical site infections

ACS Fall 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.