Development of triple-helical recombinant collagen-silver hybrid nanofibers for anti-methicillin-resistant(MRSA) applications.

The escalating threat of healthcare-associated infections highlights the urgent need for biocompatible antibacterial materials that effectively combat drug-resistant pathogens. In this study, we present a novel fabrication method for triple-helical recombinant collagen (THRC)-silver hybrid nanofibers, specifically designed for anti-methicillin-resistant(MRSA) applications. Utilizing a silver-mediated crosslinking strategy, we harness a low-power 38 W lamp to enable silver ions (Ag) to mediate crosslinking across various proteins. Mechanistic insights reveal the pivotal role of nine amino acids in facilitating this reaction. The THRC maintains its native structure, forming well-ordered nanofibers, while other globular proteins form a distinctive network-like structure. THRC also serves as a reducing and dispersing agent, facilitating thesynthesis of highly dispersed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) (∼7 nm in diameter) within the nanofibers. Systematic investigation of the reaction conditions between THRC and Agdemonstrates the versatility of this novel approach for nanofiber fabrication. The incorporation of AgNPs imparts exceptional antibacterial activity to the THRC/AgNPs nanofibers, exhibiting a minimum inhibitory concentration of 19.2 mg land a minimum bactericidal concentration of 153.6 mg lagainst MRSA. This innovative approach holds significant potential for developing antibacterial protein-based biomaterials for infection management in wound healing and other biomedical applications.