Antibacterial Effect of Ginseng/polyaniline Encapsulated in Poly(Lactic-co-glycolic Acid) Microcapsules Coating on Stainless Steel 316L

¹ School of Biomedical Engineering & Health Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM, 81310, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
² IJN-UTM Cardiovascular Engineering Centre, Institute of Human Centered Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM, 81310, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

^a Corresponding author: syafiqahsaidin@biomedical.utm.my

Abstract

Implant infection is one the current complications of implant restoration. Incorporation of a material that possesses antibacterial property is crucial in combating implant infection. In this study, polyaniline (PANI) is incorporated in ginseng encapsulated poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microcapsules to equip the microcapsules with an antibacterial effect. The microcapsules are intended for drug delivery purpose as the ginseng is comprised of abundant therapeutic values and the PLGA is known for its degradation property. The microcapsules were coated on stainless steel 316L using an electro-deposition technique. The chemical composition, morphology and antibacterial activity of the samples were analyzed through ATR-FTIR, SEM and bacterial count test. A greater volume of microcapsules was coated on the stainless steel 316L with the addition of PANI through the appearance of intense ginseng (O–H and C=C bands) and PLGA (C=O) peaks on the ATR-FTIR spectra and through the visualization of spherical morphology of microcapsules on the pre-treated metal. The incorporation of PANI also has induced the antibacterial efficacy of the microcapsules to 87.64%. Therefore, PANI has served as an antibacterial agent that could be useful in the development of implant coating materials while driving the formation of ginseng encapsulated PLGA microcapsules.