The proliferation of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria poses a severe threat to food safety and public health, driving the urgent need for advanced packaging solutions that go beyond conventional methods. Herein, we present a nanocomposite film engineered to tackle this challenge. Its active core is a rationally designed CuNCs@ZIF-67/CNF composite, where copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) are embedded in a ZIF-67 matrix and anchored onto chitosan nanofibers (CNF). This design enables synergy: CNF captures bacteria, ZIF-67 provides sustained ion release, and CuNCs generate reactive oxygen species, jointly disrupting biofilms, membranes, and metabolism. The composite demonstrates exceptional, broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, achieving >99% inactivation against Gram-positive/negative bacteria and key MDR pathogens like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Processed into a polyvinyl alcohol film, it shows excellent flexibility, strength, and biocompatibility. In practical tests on cherry tomatoes, the film effectively inhibited MDR bacteria on surfaces, reduced weight loss to <6% (control >25%), and preserved freshness over 7 days. This work offers a high-performance, sustainable strategy for next-generation active food packaging to combat spoilage and antimicrobial resistance.
Electrospun poly-based fibers functionalized with silver and gold nanoparticles demonstrated an excellent balance of safety, cytocompatibility, and antibacterial performance, making them promising candidates for biomedical applications that require both inflammation control and antimicrobial protection.
Antónia Kurillová, Saverio Caporalini, Bahareh Azimi et al.· Frontiers in Bioengineering...· 0 citations
Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are potent antimicrobial agents; however, their practical application is often limited by uncontrolled aggregation, poor control over particle size and distribution, oxidation-driven instability, and excessive Cu ion release, which can compromise long-term antimicrobial performance and increase cytotoxicity risks. We established a synthesis strategy in which TEMPO-oxidised cellulose nanofibers (TCNF) direct the nucleation and growth of ultrasmall, uniformly dispersed CuNPs that are immobilised along individual nanofibers. The resulting CuNP/TCNF hybrid was applied as a coating onto commercial polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabrics used in surgical face masks. The coatings exhibited rapid and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, achieving complete inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus pneumoniae within 30 min. The material also demonstrated ∼99% reduction of A/H1N1 influenza virus after 15 min. Notably, the antimicrobial performance was retained under high-humidity conditions mimicking respiration, and the coatings showed no cytotoxicity toward L929 fibroblasts over 48 h. Mechanistic studies revealed that immobilised CuNPs induce controlled intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation, enabling efficient pathogen inactivation while minimising copper release. This nanocellulose-templated CuNP platform provides a sustainable, durable, and safe approach for potential next-generation antimicrobial textiles and surface coatings in health and medical sectors.
Divya Rajah, Sandya S. A. Athukoralalage, Yanshan Zhu et al.· Nanoscale· 0 citations
Antimicrobial resistance among clinically significant Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens continues to represent a major therapeutic challenge, underscoring the need for nanomaterial-based anti-infective platforms with robust biological performance. Polyphenol-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles may offer a promising strategy for overcoming multidrug resistance and biofilm-associated infections.
Fe
3
O
4
nanoparticles functionalized with gallic acid, curcumin, or quercetin were synthesized by
in situ
alkaline co-precipitation and characterized using XRD, FTIR, TEM, DLS, zeta potential and TGA. Their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, anti-persister, quorum sensing and efflux pump inhibitory activities were evaluated against multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant clinical isolates of
Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
. Cytocompatibility was assessed using MTT assays.
Physicochemical and interfacial analyses confirmed the formation of polyphenol-coated Fe
3
O
4
nanomaterials, with preserved magnetite crystallinity, nanoscale dimensions, negative surface charge, and stable organic loading. In comparison with the corresponding free polyphenols, the nanoformulations exhibited an increase in antibacterial activity, with Fe
3
O
4
@gallic acid showing the most potent effect and a minimum inhibitory concentration of 16 μg/mL against
A. baumannii
. At sub-inhibitory concentrations, these materials significantly inhibited biofilm formation and diminished mature-biofilm biomass and metabolic activity by up to 78% and 85%, respectively. Notably, Fe
3
O
4
@gallic acid also decreased persister-cell burden by up to 5.0 log
10
CFU/mL, while gene-expression profiling suggested modulation of quorum-sensing and efflux-associated pathways.
These findings highlight the potential of polyphenol-functionalized Fe
3
O
4
nanomaterials as promising candidates for localized antimicrobial interventions and antibiofilm surface engineering.
Lucian-Mihai Mercan, Andreea Pîndaru, Grațiela Grădişteanu Pircalabioru et al.· Frontiers in Nanotechnology· 0 citations
Inadequate food preservation has become a serious public health and environmental challenge. Foodborne illnesses caused by microbial contamination, chemical spoilage, and improper storage pose serious threats to human health and place additional pressure on the sustainability of the food supply chain. To address environmental pollution and food spoilage, it is essential to develop multi-functional intelligent food packaging materials. Herein, a novel multifunctional bio-composite film (BC-La2O3/Cur/CD) was fabricated by incorporating curcumin-β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex (Cur-β-CD) and lanthanum oxide (La2O3) into a bacterial cellulose (BC) matrix for intelligent food packaging. Compared with pure BC, the composite film exhibits integrated antimicrobial, antioxidant, barrier, and mechanical properties. Specifically, the composite film achieved 100% inhibition rates against both E. coli and S. aureus, and showed DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging rates of 76% and 97%, respectively. Consequently, the film effectively inhibited spoilage microorganisms and extended the shelf life of basa fish. Moreover, its color changed in response to alkaline volatile amines accumulated during storage, offering visual freshness monitoring. Biocompatibility tests confirmed that the film did not increase plant or cell mortality, supporting its safety as an active food packaging material. This work offers a viable strategy for the design of rare earth-containing bio-composite films with integrated antioxidant, antibacterial and intelligent freshness-monitoring functions.
Song Xu, Hairu Song, Zhixin Liu et al.· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
