Electrospun Fibers of Biocompatible and Biodegradable Polyesters, Poly(Ethylene Oxide) and Beeswax with Anti-Bacterial and Anti-Fungal Activities.

Fibrous materials composed of core-sheath fibers from poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), beeswax (BW) and 5-nitro-8-hydroxyquinoline (NQ) were prepared via the self-organization of PEO and BW during the single-spinneret electrospinning of a homogeneous blend solution of the partners. Additionally, the application of the same approach enabled the preparation of fibrous materials composed of core-double sheath fibers from PEO, poly(L-lactide) (PLA) and NQ or 5-chloro-7-iodo-8-hydroxyquinoline (CQ), as well as from PEO, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and NQ. The consecutive selective extraction of BW and of the polyester with hexane and tetrahydrofuran, respectively, evidenced that core-double sheath fibers from PEO/polyester/BW/drug consisted of a PEO core, a polyester inner sheath and a BW outer sheath. In order to evaluate the possibility of the application of fibrous materials from PEO/BW/NQ, PEO/PLA/BW/NQ, PEO/PCL/BW/NQ and PEO/PLA/BW/CQ for plant protection, microbiological studies were performed using both phytopathogenic microorganisms ( Pseudomonas corrugata , Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium avenaceum ) and beneficial microorganisms ( Pseudomonas chlororaphis , Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Trichoderma asperellum ). It was found that the fibrous materials had anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity against both phytopathogenic and beneficial microorganisms. This is the first report on the activity of fibrous materials loaded with 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives not only against phytopathogenic but also against beneficial microorganisms that are of importance in agriculture.