Exploring fabrics finished with poly(carboxylic acid)-cyclodextrin and photosensitizer as innovative tools in antimicrobial photodynamic therapy

Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a well-known alternative way to treat local infection caused by different microorganisms such as Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. In this communication, we present a polypropylene (PP) fabric finished with citrate hydroxypropyl-?CD polymer (PP-CD) entrapping an anionic porphyrin (TPPS) as photosensitizer-eluting scaffold (PP-CD/TPPS) for aPDT. The concept is based on host-guest complexation of porphyrin in the cavities of CDs immobilized on the PP fibers, followed by its sustained and controlled delivery in release medium and simultaneous photoinactivation of microorganisms. Morphology of fabric was characterized by optical (OM) and scanning electron microscopies (SEM). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and FT-IR revealed the surface chemical composition and the distribution map of the molecular components on the fabric, respectively. Release kinetics of TPPS in physiological conditions pointed out the role of the CD cavity to control the TPPS elution. PP-CD/TPPS fabric-treated S. aureus cells were photokilled of 99.98%. Moreover, low adhesion of S. aureus cells on textile was established. Conversely, no photodamage of fabric-treated P. aeruginosa cells was observed, together with their satisfying adhesion. In this direction studies to entrap in PP-CD other photosensitisers for dejection of Gram-negative bacteria are in due course.