Enhanced antimicrobial properties of cotton gauze functionalized with biosynthesized selenium nanoparticles

The challenge of bacterial contamination, which triggers an immune response, remains a significant hurdle in the biomedical field. This study explored the use of exopolymeric substance-capped selenium nanoparticles (EPS-SeNPs) to enhance the antibacterial properties of cotton gauze. The modification of the gauze involved using chitosan as an adhesive agent to improve the deposition of EPS-SeNPs. The resulting functionalized gauze, termed EPS-SeNPs@CH_CG, was further analyzed using physicochemical techniques such as XRD, FTIR, and FE-SEM. This functionalized gauze exhibited both anti-adhesive and bactericidal properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. A prolonged antibacterial effect was also observed to be facilitated by the sustained release of selenium from the gauze. This study underscores the potential of EPS-SeNPs@CH_CG-functionalized cotton gauze for anti-microbial enhancement which can be an asset for biomedical applications.