Enhanced Antibacterial Activity of Eugenol-Loaded mPEG-PCL Nanoparticles in Eliminating Resistant Bacteria from Wastewater
Abstract
In this study, eugenol-loaded mPEG-PCL nanoparticles were used to improve the anti-bacterial properties of eugenol in an attempt to eliminate the resistant bacteria. The mPEG-PCL copolymer was prepared by ring-opening polymerization of ε-caprolactone monomer in the vicinity of a dry mPEG and a tin (II) octoate catalyst. Polymeric nanoparticles were prepared through the nanoprecipitation procedure. The particle size and zeta potential of mPEG-PCL/eugenol were found to be 157.23±3.81 nm and −6.95±0.19 mV, respectively. The polymeric nanoparticle structure was identified by AFM, FT-IR, and DSC techniques. To evaluate and compare the antibacterial efficiency of mPEG-PCL/eugenol with that of free eugenol, a turbidity assay was used in association with gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. SEM images were taken from the bacteria before and after exposure to the mPEG-PCL/eugenol. The colony-forming unit per milliliter (CFU/mL) method was used to evaluate the performance of mPEG-PCL/eugenol on the growth rate of bacteria in hospital wastewater. The results showed that the mPEG-PCL/eugenol nanoparticles demonstrated an enormous antibacterial effect in connection with wild gram-negative bacteria strains at 40 μM concentration and 37∘C. In the original hospital wastewater, mPEG-PCL/eugenol at the concentration of 0.125 μM at 25∘C showed the largest decrease in the total microbial count.
