Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria acquired serious bacterial resistance against antibiotics. Untreated dangerous infections can cause death. We proposed nanofibers (NFs) of Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/Chitosan (CS) nanocomposite embedded with Chicory root extract (CRE) as a safe solution. We determined the best extraction solvent and drying method, 70 % ethanol and freeze-drying, respectively. We investigated the optimal electrospinner parameters for a smooth PVA/CS NFs. Finally, we discovered PVA/CS/CRE-50 mg (F4) to be the most effective antibacterial and antioxidant CRE concentration. Interestingly, it was found that ethanolic extract had the highest yield % at 24.7 % with Total Phenolic Contents (TPC) of 4 mg Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/1 g, 80 % antioxidant activity at 25 mg with an IC50 of 4.15 mg/mL and a Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of 100 mg against S. aureus and 25 mg against E. coli. Remarkably, F4 NFs had an IC50 33.32 mg/mL, Entrapment Efficiency 64.89 %, Loading Capacity 4.41 %, obeying Noyes-Whitney release model. F4 had an MBC of 2 mg with both bacterial strains, which proved to be potent antibacterial material that surpasses the pure extract 50 times. F4 has also shown an extraordinary antioxidant activity that exceeds PVA/CS NF activity 23 times.
Keywords: Chicory root extract; Electrospinner; Escherichia coli; Nanotechnology; Polyvinyl alcohol; Staphylococcus aureus.
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