Synthesis and Characterization of a Polydioxanone-Coated Dipeptide-Functionalized Magnetic γ-Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles-Modified PES Membrane and Its Biological Applications

Abstract

This work is focused on the synthesis of leucyl-glycine-functionalized γ-Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticles coated by polydioxanone (γ-Fe2O3-CA-Leu-Gly-PDX) as a polyethersulphone (PES) membrane for biotechnological applications. The physicochemical characteristics were investigated by FT-IR, SEM, XRD, a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and ICP-OES. The present investigation also centered on the several biological activities of γ-Fe2O3-CA-Leu-Gly-PDX. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and metal chelating activity was studied for evaluation of its antioxidant activity potential. It exhibited 100% DPPH radical scavenging and 93.33% metal chelating activity. With applicability to antimicrobial photodynamic therapy, DNA cleavage and antimicrobial activity, the cell viability of γ-Fe2O3-CA-Leu-Gly-PDX was investigated in detail. The γ-Fe2O3-CA-Leu-Gly-PDX demonstrated the significant biofilm inhibition activity as being 81.54% and 86.34% for P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, respectively. Moreover, a novel polyethersulphone nanocomposite membrane incorporated with γ-Fe2O3-CA-Leu-Gly-PDX was prepared. The performance of the γ-Fe2O3-CA-Leu-Gly-PDX-blended polyethersulphone (PES) membrane was investigated by measuring the antifouling and E. coli rejection. The nanocomposite membranes demonstrated remarkable antifouling properties in contrast with the pristine PES when BSA (bovine serum albumin) and E. coli were filtrated. A complete rejection was obtained by the composite membrane. After an application of the membrane study, the modified polyethersulphone (PES) membrane blended with γ-Fe2O3-CA-Leu-Gly-PDX removed 100% of the E. coli.

Keywords

• magnetic nanomaterials
• nanocomposite PES membrane
• protein separation
• <i>E. coli</i>
• biotechnology