Application of green synthesised copper iodide particles on cotton fabric-protective face mask material against COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Microorganisms cause variety of diseases that constitutes a severe threat to mankind. Due to the upsurge of many infectious diseases, there is a high requirement and demand for the development of safety products finished with antimicrobial properties. The study involves the antimicrobial activity of natural cotton coated with copper iodide capped with Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. flower extract (CuI-FE) which is rich in anthocyanin, cyanidin-3-sophoroside by ultrasonication method. The coated and uncoated cotton fabric was characterised through XRD, SEM, AFM, tensile strength and UV-Visible spectroscopic techniques. XRD confirmed the formation of CuI particles, SEM showed that CuI-FE was prismatic in shape. The average size of CuI-FE particles was found to be 552.45 nm. Anti-bacterial studies showed copper iodide particles to be a potent antimicrobial agent. AFM images confirmed the rupture of bacterial cell walls in the presence of prismatic CuI-FE. In-vitro cytotoxicity investigation of CuI-FE was performed against cancer and spleen cell lines to evaluate the cell viability. Cytotoxicity analysis revealed the IC₅₀ value of 233.93 μg/mL in the presence of CuI-FE. Molecular docking study was also carried out to understand the interaction of CuI-FE with COVID-19 main protease. This paper has given an insight on the usage of CuI-FE coated on the cotton fabric that has proved to have strong inhibition against the nano ranged bacterial, cancerous cell line and a strong interaction with the COVID-19 protease. Such eco-friendly material will provide a safe environment even after the disposable of medical waste from the infectious diseases like influenza and current pandemic like COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19, Corona Virus Disease – 2019; Cotton fabric; Covid-19 main protease; CuI; CuI-FE, Copper iodide synthesized using Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. flower extract; Cyanidin-3-sophoroside; DLA, Dalton's Lymphoma Ascites; E. coli, Escherichia coli; EAC, Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma; FE, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. flower extract; Green synthesis; PBS, Phosphate buffered saline; PPE, Personal Protective Equipment; ROS, Reactive Oxygen Species; RPMI Medium, Roswell Park Memorial Institute Medium; S. faecalis, Streptococcus faecalis.

Fig. 1

GC-MS Chromatogram of Extract of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. flower (FE).

Fig. 2

XRD of CuI-FE.

Fig. 3

a). SEM images of CuI-FE. b). EDAX of CuI-FE.

Fig. 4

Linear regression analysis for the cytotoxicity analysis of CuI-FE against a) normal cell b) EAC c) DLA.

Fig. 5

Percentage cell death of EAC, DLA and rat spleen cells at various concentrations of CuI-FE.

Fig. 6

XRD of a) natural cotton and b) after coating of CuI-FE by Ultrasonication.

Fig. 7

SEM images of a), b) bare cotton and c), d) CuI-FE coated cotton.

Fig. 8

UV-DRS a) reflectance and b) absorbance spectra of the Uncoated and CuI-FE coated cotton.

Fig. 9

Tensile testing of a) bare cotton b) CuI-FE coated cotton.

Fig. 10

Antibacterial activity of CuI-FE coated cotton against E. coli and S. faecalis.

Fig. 11

AFM images of a) E. coli b) E. coli treated with CuI-FE c) S. faecalis and d) S. faecalis treated with CuI-FE.

Fig. 12

a) Binding affinity of Cu with the residues of COVID-19 main protease; b) Bound CuI with COVID-19 main protease.

Fig. 13

a) structure of Cyanidin-3-sophoroside bound CuI; b) Cyanidin-3-sophoroside docked within the binding site of COVID-19 main protease.