Electrospun poly (vinyl alcohol) nanofibers incorporating caffeic acid/cyclodextrins through the supramolecular assembly for antibacterial activity

Here, we prepared the solid inclusion complexes between Caffeic acid (CA) and Cyclodextrins (beta- and gamma-CDs) (CA/CDs) that were effectively embedded into Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) electrospun nanofibers via electrospinning technique to enhanced solubility and antibacterial activity. In tested Cyclodextrins are beta and gamma-CDs with CA in the ratio of 1:1 resulting in the formation of CA/CDs by co-precipitation method. The physical properties of CA/CDs were examined by FT-IR, UV, and Raman Spectroscopy. The phase solubility test showed a much higher solubility of CA due to inclusion complexes (ICs). Furthermore, CA/beta-CD and CA/gamma-CD perfected achieved 0.70:1 and 0.80:1 the molar ratio of ICs, confirmed by NMR studies. The fiber size distribution, average diameter, and morphology features were evaluated by SEM analysis. The dissolution profile of PVA/CA and PVA/CA/CDs were tested within 150 min, resulting in CA dissolved in PVA/CA/CDs slightly higher than PVA/CA nanofibers due to enhanced solubility of ICs. Moreover, PVA/CA/CDs exhibit high antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria of E-Coli and gram-negative bacteria of S. aureus. Finally, these results suggest that PVA/CA/CDs may be promising materials for active food packaging applications. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, solid inclusion complexes of CA/CDs were incorporated into PVA nanofibers using electrospinning technique to enhance solubility and antibacterial activity. The physical properties of CA/CDs were examined and the formation of ICs was confirmed. PVA/CA/CDs demonstrated promising performance in terms of antibacterial activity and solubility enhancement.