Nitrogen Doped Carbon-Dot Embedded Poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) Composite Films for Potential Use in Food Packing Industry and Wound Dressing

Abstract

Here, nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-doped CDs) were synthesized by the hydrothermal method embedded within poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) ((PLGA)) films at different amounts. The N-doped CDs (or CD) that possess fluorescence properties also have antimicrobial properties against S. aureus and E. coli microorganisms, determined by the disc diffusion method with 19 ± 2 and 18 ± 1 mm zone diameters, respectively. The CD embedded PLGA films (CD@PLGA) with different CD contents revealed an increased fluorescence intensity with the increased amount of CD. Moreover, the antibacterial potency of 50% CD containing PLGA (50-CD@PLGA) films (by weight) against S. aureus and E. coli microorganisms was examined and the zone diameters were found to be 14 ± 1 and 13 ± 1 mm, respectively. In addition, CD release studies from different amounts of CD (2.5–50 by weight) containing composite films showed that 50-CD@PLGA film released 127 ± 16 mg/g CD dots, which is 38 ± 5% of the embedded CDs in about 12 days, suggesting their potential application in food packing and wound dressing. Moreover, all CD@PLGA films were found to be blood compatible via hemolysis and blood clotting index tests with <5% hemolysis and >90% blood clotting indices regardless of their CD content.