Antimicrobial effect of chlorhexidine-releasing porous hydroxyapatite scaffold incorporated with human serum albumin nanoparticles

A novel antibacterial hydroxyapatite (HAp) scaffold was developed by immobilizing chlorhexidine (CHX)-loaded human serum albumin (HSA) nanoparticles on its surface via surface charge interaction using polyethylenimine (PEI). The CHX-loaded HSA nanoparticles were fabricated using a desolvation method, coated with PEI molecules (PEI-CHX-HSA), and immobilized via charge interaction on the scaffold surface. The PEI-CHX-HSA nanoparticles were observed to be well-dispersed on the scaffold surface. The agar diffusion test showed a clear inhibition zone of Streptococcus mutans around the nanoparticle-immobilized scaffold. The antibacterial activity of the scaffold was also confirmed in the S. mutans adhesion study using scanning electron and fluorescent microscopy. The results suggest that the HAp scaffold with immobilized PEI-CHX-HSA nanoparticles showed effective drug releasing behavior and antibacterial activity against S. mutans.