Chitosan PVA and Acalypha indica-based nanoformulation for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major health problems associated with patient care. In this context, researchers are interested in developing novel, effective and sustainable therapeutic nanoformulations. It has been observed that chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, copper oxide and Acalypha indica (AI) extract have proven antimicrobial efficacy either individually or in combination. The presented study was focused on development of chitosan/PVA/CuO-AI nanocomposite for antimicrobial activity. In addition, hemolytic activity of the nanocomposite was also determined. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography confirmed the preparation of the nanocomposite. In addition, the chitosan/PVA/CuO-AI nanocomposite demonstrated effective antimicrobial activity and it was not hemolytic on human blood samples. Moreover, the cytotoxicity assay performed on Danio rerio gill cell line recorded 85% cells viability and no significant morphological alterations were observed.