Abstract
In this study we report the preparation and evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of a new hybrid material based on chitosan
(CH), magnetite (Fe3O4) and phytocomponents from the Eugenia carryophyllata aqueous extract (AE). CH/Fe3O4 was prepared
by chemical precipitation of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions in aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide and CH. E. carryophyllata’s dried buds
were hydrodistilled under microwave conditions. The AE was separated in three equal parts, one for the chloroform extraction,
one for the extraction with CH beads and the other for the extraction with CH/Fe3O4. The chemical composition of the AE and
phytocomponents extracted with CH and CH/Fe3O4 was established by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS)
analysis. The high content of eugenol and α-cariophyllene has been assessed in CH, CH/Fe3O4 and chloroform extraction
fractions. The microbicidal and anti-biofilm activity of CH/AE and CH/Fe3O4/AE were tested against several microbial strains,
either reference ones or recently collected from patients with microbial otitis, rhinosinusitis or pharyngo-tracheal fistula after
total laryngectomy treated and operated in ENT Clinic, Coltea Hospital, Bucharest. The present study showed that the hybrid
material based on chitosan (CH) and phytocomponents extracted from E. carriophylata (AE), and respectively on CH, magnetic
nanoparticles and AE, proved to be efficient against the majority of the tested strains, both in planktonic and adherent state, the
CH/Fe3O4/AE specifically inhibiting the development of biofilms formed by Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and Candida albicans strains isolated from otolaryngological infections.