Research on the preparation and antibacterial properties of 2-N-thiosemicarbazide-6-O-hydroxypropyl chitosan membranes with iodine

ABSTRACT The 2‐N‐thiosemicarbazide‐6‐O‐hydroxypropyl chitosan (ATU‐HPCS) was prepared by chitosan grafted hydroxypropyl and thiosemicarbazide through the method of “amino protection‐graft‐deprotection,” while the ATU‐HPCS gel membranes were obtained from gelatin and polyvinyl pyrrolidone as additives, and the ATU‐HPCS membranes with iodine (ATU‐HPCS‐I2‐M) were prepared by adding the ethanol solution of iodine in the ATU‐HPCS gel membranes. The ATU‐HPCS‐I2‐M were characterized to evaluate their potential applications as antibacterial materials. The iodine releasing rule of ATU‐HPCS‐I2‐M showed a sustained‐release effect of iodine, the maximum emission was approximately 0.80%. The inhibition zone diameters of ATU‐HPCS‐I2‐M against Staphylococcus aureus (as Gram‐positive bacteria) and Escherichia coli (as Gram‐negative bacteria) were both greater than 15 mm, it demonstrated significant antibacterial activity compared with the ATU‐HPCS gel membranes. The double effects of the biocompatibility of chitosan and the sustained‐release of iodine provided an ideal healing environment for wound surface. These properties have made ATU‐HPCS‐I2‐M highly potential as a novel natural macromolecule antimicrobial material preventing the bacteria from burns, surgery wounds, etc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40535.