چکیده (انگلیسی):

The aim of the present study was to compare the antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticle-polymer composites prepared by in situ synthesis of the silver nanoparticles within the polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) hydrogel and by direct addition of the silver nanoparticles into the polymer matrix prepared using gamma radiation technology. The antimicrobial activity of the PVP-nanosilver hydrogels prepared with different concentrations of 30, 50, 70 and 100 ppm silver was tested against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Hydrogels with 100 ppm nanosilver prepared by in situ reduction of silver resulted in about 3 to 5 log reduction in microbial counts after 3 hours as compared to about 2-log reduction with hydrogels prepared by addition of nanosilver. Comparison of the microbial reduction rates in the presence of two types of hydrogels have shown higher antimicrobial effects of nanosilver prepared by in situ reduction of silver by gamma radiation in the polymer matrix.