Micro-Encapsulation of Antibiotic in Cellulose Nanoparticle Inhibits Bacteria

Background: Nanoparticles have been considered for a wide range of applications both in soluble and insoluble forms. We take an advantage of soluble form of cellulose nanoparticle (CNP) for encapsulation of antibiotic/drug. Methods: The CNP was prepared by micro-emulsion method using organic and oil as the continuous phase and tween-80 as the emulsifying agent. Results: Formation of uniform-sized CNPs was evidenced by scanning and atomic force microscopic studies, measured as the average size of }50 nm. CNP prepared under acidic and neutral conditions did not show improvement for the inhibition of Escherichia coli growth. However, when CNP was alkalinized, it yielded higher antibiotic loading and showed greater rate of bactericidal effect with 3 folds higher efficiency. Increase in the amount of cellulose did not increase the encapsulation rate. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the application antibiotic encapsulated CNP for microbial inhibi- tion and highly applicable for drug delivery system.