Abstract
The main aim of this study was to prepare antimicrobial nanocomposites consisting of alginate, chitosan, and camptothecin (CPT). CPT-loaded calcium alginate (Ca-Alg(2)) and calcium alginate/chitosan (Ca-Alg(2)-CH) nanomaterials were synthesized and characterized using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antimicrobial activity and the genetic effects of Ca-Alg(2)/CPT and Ca-Alg(2)-CH/CPT nanomaterials on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumonia were studied. The repetitive element polymerase chain reaction analysis technique was used to assess the changes in the bacterial genetic material due to the processing of the nanomaterials. The results showed the presence of a strong chemical interaction between alginate and chitosan, and CPT was loaded successfully in both Ca-Alg(2)/CPT and Ca-Alg(2)-CH/CPT nanomaterials. Furthermore, the antimicrobial test showed that the Ca-Alg(2)/CPT nanocomposite was susceptible to S. aureus, E. coli, and K. pneumonia; on the other hand, Ca-Alg(2)-CH/CPT nanocomposite was more susceptible to E. coli and K. pneumonia and was resistant to S. aureus. The results showed that the Ca-Alg(2)/CPT nanocomposite was less efficient than Ca-Alg(2)-CH/CPT nanocomposite in killing Gram-negative treated bacteria. Moreover, results revealed that the PCR analysis revealed a polymorphic banding pattern. This observation provides an excellent guide to the ability of some polymers to induce point mutations in DNA.