School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2021 Apr 27;368(7). doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnab039.
Antimicrobial materials are tools used to reduce the transmission of infectious microorganisms. Photo-illuminated titania (TiO2) is a known antimicrobial material. Used as a coating on door handles and similar surfaces, it may reduce viability and colonization by pathogens and limit their spread. We tested the survival of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on a nano-structured TiO2-based thin film, called 'NsARC', and on stainless steel under a variety of light wavelengths and intensities. There was significantly less survival (P <0.001) of all the organisms tested on NsARC compared to inert uncoated stainless steel under all conditions. NsARC was active in the dark and possible mechanisms for this are suggested. NsARC inhibited biofilm formation as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. These results suggest that NsARC can be used as a self-cleaning and self-sterilizing antimicrobial surface coating for the prevention and reduction in the spread of potentially infectious microbes.
抗菌材料是用于减少传染性微生物传播的工具。光催化二氧化钛（TiO2）是一种已知的抗菌材料。将其涂覆在门把手和类似表面上，可以降低病原体的生存能力和定植能力，并限制其传播。我们测试了纳米结构 TiO2 基薄膜（称为“NsARC”）和不锈钢上的大肠杆菌、铜绿假单胞菌、金黄色葡萄球菌和酿酒酵母在各种波长和强度的光下的存活情况。与所有条件下惰性未涂层的不锈钢相比，所有测试的生物体在 NsARC 上的存活情况明显减少（P<0.001）。NsARC 在黑暗中也具有活性，并且提出了可能的机制。扫描电子显微镜证实，NsARC 抑制了生物膜的形成。这些结果表明，NsARC 可用作自清洁和自消毒的抗菌表面涂层，以预防和减少潜在传染性微生物的传播。
