PEGylation of novel hydroxyapatite/PEG/Ag nanocomposite particles to improve its antibacterial efficacy.

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocomposite particles were prepared simply in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and fabricated with silver via a sol–gel route and the physico-chemical and biological properties of these materials were investigated. The objective of this study is to inspect the crystallinity and antibacterial activity of these composite materials. PEG has been used to greatly promote biocompatibility and biodegradability of HAp. Silver nanoparticles were used for improving its bactericidal efficacy while applying composites. Nano-sized HAp composite particles with PEG and nano-silver was incorporated to increase the crystalline nature of the nanocomposite. The structure of nanocomposite particles was studied by XRD, FTIR, HR-SEM, EDS and TEM analyses. Silver nanoparticles loaded on the synthesized HAp-PEG showed a synergistic antibacterial effect against Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli ( E. coli ). The controlled release of Ag + ion from HAp-PEG-Ag nanocomposite has given good antibacterial efficacy evidenced by epi-fluorescence microscopy images during different hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]