Cationic-porphyrin incorporated electrospun fibers for effective photo-inactivation of bacteria

Infectious diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria has always been a persistent concern to public health. The introduction of new microbial diseases or the re-emergence of previously controlled diseases worsens the situation. Antibacterial photodynamic therapy (APDT) is now gaining popularity in the scientific community due to its low susceptibility towards drug resistance, while bacteria often develop drug resistance rapidly in response to traditional antibiotic therapy. The present work explores the possibility of combining a biodegradable gelatin/ polyurethane electrospun polymer scaffold (GP) with a cationic porphyrin (P1); to employ as a user-friendly photosensitizer in APDT. The membranes have been structurally characterized and the antibacterial action triggered by a visible light source has been investigated. The membrane GPP exhibited 97% and 96% inhibition against E. coli and S. aureus respectively in the presence of light.