Fabrication of asymmetrical morpholine phthalocyanines conjugated chitosan-polyacrylonitrile nanofibers for improved photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy activity

•Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) activities of cationic and neutral phthalocyanines (Pcs) are evaluated against S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans.•Cationic phthalocyanine showed high efficacy values of >7 log reduction value for all microorganisms.•The Pcs are covalently linked to modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and to PAN conjugated to chitosan.•Excellent bacterial colony reduction of >90% against both S. aureus and C. albicans in the presence of chitosan. The work is based on the synthesis and photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) activities of neutral (1 and 2) and cationic (1Q and 2Q) morpholine substituted phthalocyanines. For applicability, these complexes were covalently linked to modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to form 1-PAN, 2-PAN, 1Q-PAN, and 2Q-PAN, respectively. Chitosan was conjugated to PAN (to form PAN-CS) which was then linked to the Pcs to form PAN-CS-1, PAN-CS-2, PAN-CS-1Q, and PAN-CS-2Q, respectively. Singlet oxygen quantum yields improved following the inclusion of chitosan. The PACT activities of the complexes alone and when anchored to both PAN and PAN-CS was evaluated against bacteria: S. aureus, E. coli and fungi C. albicans. Cationic phthalocyanine showed high efficacy values of >7 log reduction value for all microorganisms. These results translated into excellent bacterial colony reduction of >90% against both S. aureus and C. albicans after 1 h of photoirradiation on PAN-CS support. [Display omitted]