نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Pinecones, due to their phenolic compounds, antioxidant properties, and high cellulose content, are considered a valuable and renewable resource for the production of advanced materials. In this study, cellulose was extracted from pinecones, and nanocomposite nanofibers containing different amounts of ZnTiO₃ nanoparticles (0.00, 0.50, 1.00, and 1.50 wt%) were fabricated using the electrospinning method. FESEM images revealed that the produced nanofibers had a uniform structure with an average diameter of 44 nm, and the nanoparticles (size ≤20 nm) were well dispersed within the cellulose matrix. Quantitative antibacterial evaluation according to the AATCC 100-2004 standard showed that the sample without nanoparticles (A) exhibited only 63% antibacterial activity, while the sample containing 1.00 wt% ZnTiO₃ (C) showed more than 91%, and the sample containing 1.50 wt% (D) showed more than 95% bacterial growth inhibition. In the anti-inflammatory test (carrageenan-induced mouse paw edema), the nanocomposites exhibited significant effects from the second hour onward and approached the effect of indomethacin (control drug) by the fifth hour. Furthermore, the tensile strength of the samples increased from 2.94 MPa in sample A to 3.79 MPa in sample D, indicating an improvement of approximately 29%. The most important achievements of this research include: (1) successful fabrication of ZnTiO₃-containing cellulose nanofibers with diameters below 50 nm, (2) achieving over 95% antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, (3) demonstrating an anti-inflammatory effect comparable to the standard drug, and (4) significant improvement in mechanical strength with the addition of minimal amounts of nanoparticles. These results indicate that the produced nanofibers are an effective, biocompatible, and sustainable option for applications in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and advanced textile industries.
کلیدواژهها English