Development of Gelatin Films with Designed Antimicrobial Peptide and Silver Nanoparticles

Gelatin films from cold water fish skin filled with designed antimicrobial peptide or silver nanoparticles were formulated for biomedical applications. Antibacterial activities of gelatin films containing silver nanoparticles and lytic peptides were evaluated to study the growth of a Staphylococcus species. The results suggest that inclusion of silver nanoparticles and lytic peptides into the composition of biocompatible films is feasible, with significant retention of the antimicrobial activity for both agents. The results presented here give evidence that both the silver nanoparticles and lytic peptides retain their antibacterial activity in such film matrices and the surrounding medium. Therefore, such biocompatible films may have potential use in biomedical applications such as wound dressing, superficial infection and contamination control. Evaluation of the mechanical properties for silver nanoparticles gelatin films revealed that the tensile strength appeared to be optimal at 0.3% silver nanoparticles loading. However, the strain-to-failure decreased with respect to the neat film.