Antimicrobial coating of textiles by laccase in situ polymerization of catechol and p-phenylenediamine

Abstract

Textile fabrics made up of cotton, wool, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were coated with poly(catechol) and poly(p-phenylenediamine) through the in situ enzymatic polymerization of catechol and p-phenylenediamine, assisted by laccase under high-pressure homogenization. All coated fabrics showed antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) strains and revealed antioxidant character, measured in terms of (ABTSâ¢+)-scavenging activity. The coating of PET and cotton fabrics with both polymers did not affect the viability of foreskin fibroblasts. The methodology proposed for the in situ coating of textile materials assisted by laccase showed to be a promising approach to produce colored antimicrobial textiles with vast potential applications, namely, clothing and medical devices, among others.