32. Antifungal and Antiflammable Properties of Alginate Fibers

The antifungal activity and cytotoxicity of zinc, calcium, and copper alginate fibers were studied to evaluate the feasibility for tissue engineering and medical applications [12Gon]. Antifungal activity of the fibers was measured against Candida albicans, and the cytotoxicity was measured using human fibroblast and human embryonic kidney cells. Figure 32.1 shows the zone of inhibition of the calcium (a), copper (b), and zinc alginate (c) fibers against C. albicans. As seen from the figure, zinc alginate fibers had higher inhibitory zone and rates (80 %) compared to copper (60 %) and calcium alginate (40 %) fibers. In addition, zinc alginate fibers did not show any cytotoxicity but promoted cell growth indicating the suitability of the fibers as scaffold for tissue engineering. In a similar research, copper alginate fibers with tenacity up to 2.4 g/den were developed and were reported to have good antibacterial activity [05Mik].