Silver(i) metal–organic framework-embedded polylactic acid electrospun fibrous membranes for efficient inhibition of bacteria

Abstract

With recent outbreaks of fatal strains of diseases and the emergency of antibiotic resistance, there is a pressing demand to discover bactericidal materials that can effectively reduce or prevent infections by pathogenic bacteria. Herein, silver(I) metal organic frameworks Ag₂(HBTC) were embedded into biocompatible polylactic acid (PLA) fibrous membranes through an electrospinning process as an antibiotic-free material for effective bacterial killing. The as-synthesized Ag₂(HBTC)/PLA composite membrane showed an inactivation efficiency of more than 99.9% against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) at a concentration of 200–250 mg L⁻¹. Mechanistic investigation indicated that the steady release of Ag⁺ ions and ˙OH generation from the composites contributed to the efficient antibacterial activities through irreversible damage to the bacterial cell membranes. In-depth proteomic analysis demonstrated that Ag₂(HBTC)/PLA exerted a biological effect towards bacterial cells through down-regulating functional proteins, thereby destroying the central biochemical pathways of the cellular energy metabolism process, reducing resistance to oxidative damage and inhibiting cell division. In general, this study shows a promising perspective on designing MOF/PLA membranes with broad-spectrum disinfection capability for potential environmental sterilization and public healthcare protection.