Sustainable keratin-coated gold and silver nanoparticles embedded in hydrogel: An antibacterial biomaterial

The spread of multidrug-resistant bacterial infection urges the need for the development of sustainable, biocompatible, and multifunctional antibacterial biomaterials.Keratin is a fibrous structural protein widely present in human hair and poultry feathers that provides a renewable biomaterial platform.The present study focuses on the keratin that was extracted from human hair and applied as both a coating/capping agent for gold and silver nanoparticles.The extracted keratin was quantified, and it was observed that keratin elution was directly proportional to incubation time.32.6% of keratin was eluted at 45 mins.TLC was performed, and the major amino acids identified were methionine, serine, and cysteine.Gold and silver nanoparticles were synthesized using traditional methods, and the keratin coating showed an increase in nanoparticle size, as confirmed by a change in color.Moreover, SEM images of keratin hydrogels showed a highly porous network with nanoparticles embedded in it.The hydrogel was found to have a porosity of 46.15%.EDX analysis for all samples emphasized sulfur as the dominant component, confirming the structural presence of keratin.The hydrogels loaded with silver nanoparticles showed greater antibacterial activity against S. aureus with a zone of inhibition of approximately 21 mm.This study signifies that keratin-based nanocomposite hydrogels are promising, sustainable materials and are exploited as a wound dressing material.In the future, this technology may be used in wound healing and biomedical coatings.The result of this study will help in the development of sustainable nanomaterials for advanced healthcare applications.