Electrophoretic deposition of ferulic acid loaded bioactive glass/chitosan as antibacterial and bioactive composite coatings

• Published in: Surface & coatings technology 2021-01, Vol.405, p.126657, Article 126657
• Main Authors: Akhtar, Muhammad Asim, Mariotti, Camilla E., Conti, Bice, Boccaccini, Aldo R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Alternating current; Antibacterial; Antiinfectives and antibacterials; Antioxidants; Biocompatibility; Bioglass; Biological activity; Biomedical materials; Body fluids; Chemical composition; Chitosan; Coatings; Composite coatings; Composite materials; Contact angle; Electrophoretic deposition; Energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy; Ferulic acid; Fourier transforms; Hydroxyapatite; In vitro methods and tests; Infrared analysis; Infrared spectroscopy; Morphology; Osteoblast; Phenolic phytochemical; Scanning electron microscopy; Spectrum analysis; Surface layers
• ISSN: 0257-8972; 1879-3347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2020.126657

Chitosan is a natural polycationic polymer and due to its biocompatibility as well as bioactivity it is widely used for biomedical applications. Ferulic acid is a promising phenolic phytochemical with a wide range of biological activities such as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. In this work, chitosan–bioactive glass–ferulic acid (CS-BG-FA) composite coatings were successfully fabricated using alternating current electrophoretic deposition (AC-EPD) technique. The morphology of the coatings was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which showed a uniform composite layer of 140 μm in thickness. Chemical composition of the coatings was evaluated by using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). UV–Visible spectroscopy analysis confirmed the release of ferulic acid from the coatings. All samples exhibited a contact angle value in the range 41°–50°, which is in a suitable range for cell attachment and spreading. Moreover, the developed coatings formed a hydroxyapatite (HA) surface layer after 3 days of incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF), which was confirmed by SEM, EDX, FTIR, and XRD analyses. In vitro cell culture studies confirmed that the presence of ferulic acid in the coatings increased the viability of MG-63 human osteoblast-like cells. Furthermore, antibacterial tests showed that the presence of ferulic acid resulted in an effective bactericidal activity against gram–positive and gram−negative bacteria. •Ferulic acid as phenolic phytochemical incorporated in chitosan coatings•Electrophoretic deposition suitable for ferulic acid-chitosan-bioactive glass coatings•Release of ferulic acid from coatings leads to antibacterial effects.•Hydroxyapatite formed on coating surface after 3 days in simulated body fluid