Avaliação físico-química e biológica de tecidos de algodão impregnados com quitosana, visando sua utilização em roupas hospitalares.

Abstract

It is known that health professionals and patients are the target of contamination and hospital acquired infections, and their hospital clothing can carry patologic agents responsable for causing these infections. Recent studies have shown satisfactory results related to an antimicrobial activity provided by impregnation of chitosan in cotton fabrics used to make hospital clothing. This work has been done with the goal of perform a phisio-chemical and biological evaluation of the samples impregnated with chitosan (concentration of 1% and 2%), to verify an antimicrobial activity provided by chitosan application, as well as, to evaluate, if after washing cycles, the samples of impregnated fabrics were able to maintain their inicial physio-chemical characteristics. To verify if adequate impregnation of chitosan occurred, and if there had been loss of chitosan after the washing and drying steps, the samples were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). To evaluate the antimicrobial activity, Screening tests (diffusion disks), Pour-Plate and Microdilution were performed following the methods of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The techniques of XRD, FTIR, SEM/EDS and Swelling test indicated that samples of cotton fabrics were impregnated with chitosan in concentrations of 1% and 2% and there was partial loss of impregnated chitosan during washing and drying processes. The technique FTIR showed the characteristic functional groups of cotton, chitosan, and indicated a significant impregnation of 2% chitosan. The microbiological results indicated that chitosan has antimicrobial activity and that the impregnated fabric samples inhibited growth of microorganisms on the fabrics surface. With these results, one glimpses to using chitosan on SMS fabric to create a disposable antimicrobial surgical clothing. (single use only).