Antibacterial and antimycotic activity of a cross-linked electrospun poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-iodine complex and a poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone)-iodine complex.

Photo-cross-linked poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)/PVP electrospun nanofibrous mats containing complex-bound iodine have been studied. FT-IR spectroscopy analyses have proved that coordination of molecular iodine with carbonyl group and nitrogen atom of pyrrolidone rings of the PVP chains has taken place. The distribution of iodine along the fibers is uniform as revealed by X-ray mapping. The microbiological tests have demonstrated that the iodine complex-containing electrospun mats are highly effective against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and the fungus Candida albicans. Comparison with iodine complex-containing films has shown that the iodine complex-containing nanofibers exhibit a higher killing rate than the films against bacteria E. coli. SEM observations showed that PVP-iodine nanofibrous mats inhibit the adhesion of bacteria S. aureus. These characteristic features make the electrospun iodine-containing nanofibers good candidates for wound-dressing materials.