The objective of this work was to analyze the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of bismuth lipophilic nanoparticles (BisBAL NPs) incorporated into chitosan-based membranes. Chitosan-based membranes were homogeneously embedded with BisBAL NPs, confirming the bismuth presence by scanning electron microscopy. The tensile strength of chitosan-based membrane alone or with BisBAL NPs showed similar results as elongation, suggesting that BisBAL NP addition did not affect membrane mechanical properties. Chitosan-based membranes complemented with 100 µM of BisBAL NPs caused a complete inhibition of biofilm formation and a 90-98% growth inhibition of six different oral pathogens. Cytotoxicity studies revealed that 80% of human gingival fibroblasts were viable after a 24-h exposure to the chitosan-based membrane with 100 µM of BisBAL NPs and collagen. Altogether, we conclude that the biological properties of chitosan-based membranes supplemented with BisBAL NPs could be a very interesting option for tissue regeneration.
Keywords: Antimicrobial activity; Biofilm; Bismuth lipophilic nanoparticles; Chitosan-based membranes; Cytotoxicity.