Original Article

Dose-Response:
An International Journal
Novel Route of Synthesis of PCL-CuONPs July-September 2019:1-11
ª The Author(s) 2019
Article reuse guidelines:
Composites With Antimicrobial Properties sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/1559325819869502
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Antonio Muñoz-Escobar1, Álvaro de Jesús Ruı́z-Baltazar2,

and Simón Yobanny Reyes-López1

Abstract
Nanoparticles of metals can be toxic to bacteria, showing biocidal activities at low concentrations. Metal, oxide, or compounds
based on copper are applied like antimicrobial agents. The capacity of integration of metallic nanoparticles in polymer matrices has
improved the antimicrobial behavior, resulting in the search for composites with increased bactericidal properties. A poly-
caprolactone (PCL) film polymer with copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) was prepared. Dynamic light scattering analysis
showed the sizes from 88 to 97 nm of CuONPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed CuONPs with semispherical
shapes with diameter 35 nm. The prepared PCL-CuONPs exhibited a nanoporous structure by SEM. The antibacterial applic-
ability of the composite was evaluated to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration in 6 different bacteria and the
experimental tests were carried by disk diffusion and spectrophotometric methods. The PCL-CuONPs exhibit a considerable
antibacterial effect in gram-positive bacteria in contrast to gram-negative bacteria. The preparation of PCL-CuONPs was simple,
fast, and low cost for practical application as wound dressings.

Keywords
nanofibers, composites, PCL, copper oxide nanoparticles, antibacterial activity

Introduction exception of the last one, they can offer high production rate
and better size control of the nanoparticles, but they can be
The fast emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is occurring
expensive due to high-energy and capital requirements.5
on a world scale. Several decades after the first clinical use of
Chemical reduction method is preferred, because this method
antibiotics, bacterial infections have again become a threat.
is easy, cost-effective, and efficient, and it can control the size
The overuse and misuse of these medications as well as a lack
and size dispersion by optimizing the experimental factors.6
of new antibacterial materials have been the cause of this anti-
Most of the chemical reduction methods are done in an aqueous
biotic resistance crisis. The Centers for Disease Control and
medium, thus limiting the coupling of the synthesized nanopar-
Prevention has classified several bacteria as presenting urgent,
ticles only on hydrophilic polymers.
serious, and concerning threats, many of which are Staphylo-
Among all nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles offer
coccus spp., Streptococcus spp., and Pseudomonas spp.1 and
promise as antimicrobial agents against a broad spectrum of
also Enterobacteria such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella
species, which have shown important antibiotic resistance
effects, producing serious intestinal, skin, and other soft tissue 1
Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez,
infections.2 Envolvente del PRONAF y Estocolmo s/n, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
2
The emergence of nanotechnology has provided a solid plat- Conacyt-Centro de Fı́sica Aplicada y Tecnologı́a Avanzada, Universidad
Nacional Autónoma de México, Juriquilla Querétaro, Mexico
form for adjusting the physicochemical properties of numerous
materials to generate an alternative to antibiotics to control Received 24 January 2019; received revised 15 July 2019; accepted 18 July 2019
bacterial infections.3 Nanomaterials, such as nanoparticles,
provide higher surface area to volume ratio with lower usage Corresponding Author:
Simón Yobanny Reyes-López, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad
of materials leading to be more effective in most applications.4 Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Envolvente del PRONAF y Estocolmo s/n, Ciudad
The synthesis of nanoparticles can be done through several Juárez, Chihuahua 32300, Mexico.
methods, such as physical, chemical, and biological. With the Email: [email protected]

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2 Dose-Response: An International Journal

microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant strains of both Streptococcus mutans (ATCC25175), Klebsiella oxytoca
gram-positive and gram-negative microbes.7 Copper oxide (ATCC13182), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923), Pseu-
nanoparticles (CuONPs) stand out by being widely used in domonas aeruginosa (ATCC27853), and Bacillus subtilis
conductor, electrical, and optical fields and also possess very (ATCC19163) microorganisms were obtained from American
well-known antibacterial properties.8 They were effective in Type Culture Collection.
killing a wide range of bacterial pathogens involved in noso-
comial infections.9 They are also a powerful biocide toward
fungi10 and various types of algae,11 and they present antiviral
Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Preparation
capabilities.9 Their antimicrobial activity relies on the ability to The synthesis of CuONPs was carried out in a nonaqueous
release metallic ions and the extent of their surface area.12 solution with ratio of 7:3 of DMF and THF, respectively; then
Cu2þ ions released from CuONPs generate damage to proteins copper nitrate was added as a precursor agent into this solu-
and lipids of the cell membrane, due to the fact that they are tion.2,18 The solution was placed under magnetic stirring, and
negatively charged. Additionally, Cu2þ ions possess high redox gallic acid (0.02 M) in DMF and THF solution was added
properties, which produce reactive oxygen species, producing dropwise at a drop per minute rate until a color change to dark
alterations in subcellular components, including damage to green was observed. Particle size was controlled by the initial
DNA double-helix molecule.13 concentrations of copper nitrate (0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mM),
Metal oxide/polymer composites can be synthesized by an according to previous studies.2,18 UV–vis absorption spectra
efficient fabrication process, namely, electrospinning.14,15 The were measured at room temperature in a Cary100 spectrophot-
electrospinning technique has become popular in recent years ometer (Varian Corp) with a variable wavelength between 100
due to its simplicity and versatile process. The fibers capable of and 900 nm using a 10-mm quartz cell. Particle size and dis-
being electrospun have diameters as small as below a hundred tribution were measured by dynamic light scattering in an
nanometers. Electrospinning utilizes an electric field strong HORIBA SZ-100 Nanoparticle Analyzer (HORIBA, Ltd.,
enough to overcome the surface tension of a polymeric solution USA). WITec’s Raman spectrophotometer alpha300R, with a
producing a spinning jet, leading to deposition of the fibers on a 532-nm laser, was used for Raman imaging. X-ray diffraction
collector.16 crystallographic study was carried out using XPERT PRO
The selected polymer is one of the primarily factors for the PANalytical diffractometer (PANalytical, The Netherlands),
successful preparation of antimicrobial nanofibers.15 Polyca- in the scanning range of 2y from 20 to 80 (CuKa1; 35 kV;
prolactone (PCL) is an electrospinnable, hydrophobic, and 25 mA). Finally, the morphologies of the CuONPs and fibers
semicrystalline polymer that has been considered for biomedi- collected on carbon-coated copper grids were observed with a
cal applications. It can be used as a long-term implant delivery scanning electron microscopy (SEM, JEOLJSM-6400, (JEOL,
device, thanks to its short in vivo degradation rate and high Japan)) operated at 20 kV, equipped with energy dispersive
drug permeability.17 Polycaprolactone has also been used for Xx-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Fourier-transform infrared spec-
skin regeneration applications, scaffolds for fibroblasts sup- troscopy spectra were taken with an Alpha Platinum-ATR
port, nanocomposites for bone repair, ureteral substitution, and spectrometer. Thermal evolution of the fibers was determined
lately electrospun composite nanofibers.18 by thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis
Polymer–metal nanoparticles composites appear to extend (DTA) using a SDT Q600 V20.9 Build 20 instrument (TA Co.
the applications of biocide metals. The antibacterial properties LTD., USA). X-ray diffraction was employed to identify crys-
of CuONPs can work together with the function of a polymer talline phases present in fiber samples treated at 800 C and
film as a wound dressing to protect from contamination and 1600 C. An instrument X’Pert PRO PANalytical was used,
temporarily compensate for damaged skin. The aim of this with Cu ka ¼ 1.54056, 20 kV, 10 to 80 , by the powder
contribution is to develop an inexpensive, effective, and non- method, and a 2 /min scanning speed.
aqueous procedure for synthesis of CuONPs to functionalize
polymeric PCL nanofibers and assess their antibacterial perfor-
mance on several microorganisms of clinical importance.
Preparation and Fabrication of Nanofibers Composites
The second step was the preparation of nanofibers by electro-
spinning; the simple method consisted in forming a viscous
Materials and Methods solution of PCL 10% (m/v) with the newly prepared CuONPs
solutions under magnetic stirring at room temperature (see
Materials Figure 1). The resulting viscous solution of PCL with copper
All the chemicals used were of analytical grade and purchased nanoparticles was loaded into a syringe connected to a
from Sigma-Aldrich: copper nitrate (Cu(NO3)2), poly e-capro- stainless-steel needle of 1.25-mm inner diameter. The steel
lactone with an average molecular weight of 80 000, N, gallic needle was connected to a high-voltage generator, and an alu-
acid (97.5%), dimethylformamide (DMF; 98.5), and tetra- minum foil served as the counter electrode. A dense web of
hydrofuran (THF; 99.5%). All chemical reagents were used fibers was collected on the aluminum foil. The used electrical
as received. Muüller-Hinton broth and agar plates were used potential amounted to 15 kV, the distance between the capillary
for antibacterial test. Escherichia coli (ATCC25922), and the substrate electrode was 10 cm, and the feeding rate of
Muñoz-Escobar et al 3

Figure 1. Schematic representation of the synthesis of PCL-CuONPs composites. PCL-CuONPs indicates polycaprolactone with copper oxide
nanoparticles.

the solution in syringe pump was 15 to 20 mL/min. The elec- the final absorbance was measured to estimate the inhibition
trospinning assay was performed at 25 C. percentage. The antimicrobial test for all microorganisms and
nanofibers was made in triplicate. All data were analyzed by
IBM SPSS Statistics 25 and are expressed as mean values +
Antibacterial Activity standard error. Statistical analyses were carried out using anal-
ysis of variance and Tukey multiple comparison test. A P value
Disk-diffusion method was performed to PCL-CuONPs nano- .05 was considered statistically significant.
composites to measure its antibacterial activity. The microbial
species, E coli, S mutans, K oxytoca, S aureus, P aeruginosa,
and B subtilis, were cultured in Muüller-Hinton broth for
20 hours at 37 C before the test. According to the McFarland
Results and Discussions
scale (1.3  106 CFU/mL), 100 mL of standardized suspensions Initial formation of CuONPs was visualized from color
of each bacterium was placed on Muüller-Hinton agar plates. changes in the solutions, from blue green to dark green, which
Samples of PCL-CuONPs (1 cm  1 cm) were cut in circular correspond to the formation of CuONPs, as shown in
discs and submitted to the inhibition zone tests. The sterilized Figure 2A.19 UV–vis analysis exhibited well-defined plasmon
disks were then positioned on the 6 different microbial species band absorption for CuONPs (Figure 2B). The study performed
culture plates, being incubated for 24 hours at 37 C. The anti- by Varughese et al depicts the optical absorption spectrum of
bacterial effect was determined by the measurement of clear CuONPs, displaying an excitonic absorption peak at 280 nm,
zones resultant to inhibition formed around the disks. All tests which is attributed to the formation of cupric oxide nanoparti-
for each microorganism were made in triplicate. cles.20 Our study shows the absorption peaks from 270 to
Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined 285 nm increasing according to the precursor salt concentra-
using the microbroth dilution method in a microplate reader tion, as reported previously. The observed changes in the
Multiskan MCC Fisher Scientific (USA). In the microplate spectrum reflect the characteristic pattern of CuONPs forma-
wells, one PCL-CuONPs disc of the corresponding concentra- tion by reducing copper ions with gallic acid present in reduc-
tions of 0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 mM was placed for each tive solution of DMF and THF.
bacteria. The microplate was incubated at 37 C for 12 hours. The size and shape of the resultant particles were elucidated
The turbidity of the media was observed at various time inter- with SEM (Figures 2B and 3A). The obtained nanoparticles
vals at 570 nm using a UV spectrophotometer. After that time, observed from the micrograph majority were mostly spherical
4 Dose-Response: An International Journal

Figure 2. UV–vis spectra of CuONPs (A) and the change of color of each solution (B). CuONPs indicates copper oxide nanoparticles;
UV, ultraviolet.

Figure 3. The SEM images of CuONPs (A and B), EDS spectra (C), and Raman spectra (D). CuONPs indicates copper oxide nanoparticles; EDS,
energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy; SEM, scanning electron microscopy.

and some of them were agglomerated. Without any protecting only some variation in nanoparticle size. Most sizes of the
agents, the general expectation would be that the nanoparticles particles ranged from 20 to 45 nm, and the average size was
would tend to agglomerate even more and that the particle sizes estimated at 35 nm for all concentrations, according to the size
would be larger and more variable. However, there was noted distribution shown in Figure 4. Nanoparticle sizes were not
Muñoz-Escobar et al 5

nm (Figure 4). This could be explained by the agglomerations

of CuONPs observed previously by SEM. On the other hand,
the initial amounts of copper nitrate and reducing agents left no
residue and the reaction was assumed to be complete. It can be
concluded that Cu ions can be reduced to CuO at room tem-
perature with this methodology and don’t require a longer
period than other techniques. The elemental analysis (EDS)
was performed to prove the presence of copper component in
the prepared sample particles. Figure 3C shows the spectrum of
CuONPs obtained by elemental microprobe EDS analysis. The
results show that carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and copper are the
principal elements forming the sample. Further evidence for
Figure 4. Size measurements of CuONPs obtained by DLS analysis the synthesis of CuONPs is provided by the Raman spectra
and SEM micrographs. CuONPs indicates copper oxide nanoparticles; of the synthesized nanoparticles illustrated in Figure 3D.
DLS, dynamic light scattering; SEM, scanning electron microscopy Raman spectra provide information about the nature of the
CuONPs, which is essential for verifying the purity of
the oxide. It can be seen that there are 3 Raman peaks in the
sample, at 294 cm1, 581 cm1, and a very broad band from
400 to 600 cm1, which are characteristics bands for CuO. It
was possible to discard the Cu2O presence in the films, due to
spectra for Cu2O showing very different features at distinct
bands at 150, 220, and 625 cm1.21 X-ray diffraction was
employed to characterize the crystal structure and phase purity
of the nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction patterns of the CuONPs
exhibit a crystalline structure of single-phase monoclinic CuO
according to JCPDS file No. 45-0937. The not formation of
peaks related to another single-phase of CuxOy was confirmed
by the absence of Cu2O3, Cu2O, and Cu planes, in agreement
with Raman spectra.
Infrared spectra of electrospun PCL and PCL-CuONPs 25,
50, 100, and 200 mM fibers are shown in Figure 5. They all
Figure 5. Infrared spectra of electrospun PCL and PCL-CuONPs exhibited the absorption bands of the functional groups of the
fibers. PCL-CuONPs indicates polycaprolactone with copper oxide polymer including both absorption bands at 1719 and 2945
nanoparticles. cm1 corresponding to the functional groups C¼O and C–H,
respectively. There was no shift in peak positions of the
directly proportional to the precursor salt concentration. The CuONPs-loaded PCL fibers compared to plain PCL films.
hydrodynamic diameters of CuONPs were assessed, founding Thermogravimetric analysis is used to analyze the decom-
that the cumulant diameters of CuONPs had sizes from 88 to 97 position temperature of PCL and its different CuONPs

Figure 6. The TGA (A) and DTA (B) of PCL and PCL-CuONPs fibers. DTA indicates differential thermal analysis; PCL-CuONPs, polycapro-
lactone with copper oxide nanoparticles; TGA, thermogravimetric analysis.
6 Dose-Response: An International Journal

Figure 7. The SEM images of PCL-CuONPs 0 mM (A1), 25 mM (B1), 50 mM (C1), 100 mM (D1), and 200 mM (E1), their respective EDS spectra
(A2-E2), and their histogram distribution (a3-e3). EDS indicates energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; PCL-CuONPs, polycaprolactone with
copper oxide nanoparticles; SEM, scanning electron microscopy.

composites and the weight change (%) with respect to tempera- which is related to the complete process which includes the
ture ( C). From the graph exhibited in Figure 6, it showed that dehydration of the saccharide rings, according to Noor and
PCL thermal degradation begins at 280 C in a single stage, Ansari.22 Weight loss of PCL-CuONPs composites was also
Muñoz-Escobar et al 7

Figure 8. The EDS mapping showing distribution of carbon (A), oxygen (B), and copper ions (C) in the polymer membrane of PCL-CuONPs
200 mM displayed in the SEM image (D). EDS indicates energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy; PCL-CuONPs, polycaprolactone with copper
oxide nanoparticles; SEM, scanning electron microscopy.

verified. The curves show a shift to a higher temperature for was used to characterize the distribution of Cu2þ in the PCL
PCL-CuONPs because of the copper oxide presence. It means composite membrane, due to the distribution of nanoparti-
that PCL-CuONPs exhibit a better thermal stability compared cles in PCL fibers directly influences the antimicrobial per-
to pure PCL. The fibers were further characterized by DTA, formance of the membrane. The homogeneous distribution
showing an endothermic melting peak at about 66 C, an of elements C, O, and Cu in EDS mapping indicated that the
endothermic decomposition peak at about 360 C, and an CuONPs nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed.
exothermic peak at about 413 C. These 3 observed phenomena Figure 8 shows the SEM and EDS maps at 20 000 that
clearly identify PCL composite fibers. further proves the presence of Cu in the PCL fibers at 200 mM.
Scanning electron microscopy images in Figure 7 show CuO nanoparticles were found in the surface and into the fibers.
that the obtained fibers present a cylindrical smooth surface The blue and light blue maps for carbon and oxygen EDS maps
and free area of beads, precipitates, and fractures. It is evi- in Figure 8A and B give the same skeleton of the fibers. The
dent from the SEM images of PCL-CuONPs nanofibers magenta dots on the EDS map in Figure 8C, which stand for the
scaffolds that the electrospun nanofibers were smooth and detected copper, clearly covered the fiber.
uniform with optimized electrospinning parameters. The In order to examine whether the nanocomposite of PCL with
average diameters of PCL and PCL-CuONPs nanofibers in situ generated CuONPs possess antibacterial activity, the
were from 522 + 156, 925 + 279, 908 + 18, 945 + disk diffusion method was performed and listed in Table 1.
388, and 1082 + 329 nm for CuONPs contents of 0, 1, Several articles have already demonstrated an excellent anti-
10, 50, and 100 nM, respectively. The diameters of these microbial activity of CuONPs against a wide range of bacteria.
nanofibers were observed to increase upon an increase in However, the concentrations reported have been high, such as
the content of the CuONPs. Results obtained by electron the case for E coli in which 0.02 g and 0.75 mg were used.23,24
microscopy showed the existing relation between size dis- In the antimicrobial tests, CuONPs weren’t used directly due to
tribution and concentration of CuO nanoparticles. The pres- the fact that equivalent concentration would be very low and
ence of CuONPs in the solution increased the electrical difficult to manipulate. For example, the concentration of
charge and conductivity, which resulted in a wider diameter 200 mM CuONPs would have an equivalent of 0.32 mg and
of the fibers. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping besides that a composite allows the controlled release of Cu
8 Dose-Response: An International Journal

Table 1. Inhibition Halo Test Results for Each Bacteria at Different Concentrations.

Concentration (mM) Halo Size (mm) Concentration (mM) Halo Size (mm)

Gram-Negative Bacteria Gram-Positive Bacteria

Escherichia coli Bacillus subtilis

25 – 25 –
50 – 50 –
100 – 100 –
200 – 200 –
Pseudomonas aeruginosa Staphylococcus aureus
25 7.00 25
50 7.49 50 –
100 7.86 100 –
200 11.20 200 6.79
Klebsiella oxytoca Streptococcus mutans
25 – 25 –
50 – 50 –
100 – 100 –
200 6.69 200 –

Figure 9. Images of zones of inhibition against (A) Escherichia coli, (B) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (C) Klebsiella oxytoca, (D) Bacillus subtilis,
(E) Staphylococcus aureus, and (F) Streptococcus mutans.

ions. Maximum zone of inhibition of pathogenic microorgan- PCL-CuONPs concentration. It has been demonstrated that the
isms, 3 gram-positive and 3 gram-negative bacteria, was mea- antibacterial response of composites containing metallic ele-
sured, showing the best inhibition results of PCL-CuONPs ments, such as copper, depends on the concentration of metal
nanofiber scaffolds against the gram-negative bacteria ions according to Figure 9 and Table 1, as well as dissolution of
P aeruginosa showing effectiveness since the smallest concen- metals released in growth media for both gram-positive and
tration of CuONPs, continuing its effect along the concentra- gram-negative bacteria.25
tions of 50 and 100 mM, and being significantly increased at In the interest of verifying if the dissolution of the Cu2þ
200 mM. Klebsiella oxytoca and S aureus only showed a small would increase in a liquid media, and therefore increase its
inhibition zone in the greatest concentration of CuONPs. Inhi- antibacterial properties, we proceed to perform the optical den-
bition halo in the other tested bacteria wasn’t observable in any sity method. Figure 10 shows results of the inhibition
Muñoz-Escobar et al 9

Figure 10. Inhibition effect of PCL-CuONPs against (A) Escherichia coli, (B) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (C) Klebsiella oxytoca, (D) Bacillus subtilis,
(E) Staphylococcus aureus, and (F) Streptococcus mutans. PCL-CuONPs indicates polycaprolactone with copper oxide nanoparticles.

percentage of each bacteria, which were equal in K oxytoca started to fluctuate from 100 mM and was clearly affected
and P aeruginosa as those obtained in disk diffusion method, at 200 mM.
showing again only a small inhibition of K oxytoca in the In our present study, both gram-positive and gram-negative
biggest concentration, and demonstrating again the MIC of bacteria were used to assess the antibacterial properties and the
25 mM of PCL-CuONPs in P aeruginosa. Escherichia coli results indicated that PCL-CuONPs did not exhibit a strong
presented a 14.56% of inhibition at PCL-CuONPs 100 mM, antibacterial effect in gram-positive bacteria in contrast to
which increased more than 2-fold to 37.98% in 200mM. gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria present a cell
Gram-positive bacteria displayed slightly inhibition results wall composed of a cytoplasmic membrane, a thin peptidogly-
for S aureus being equal for all the concentrations, beginning can layer, and an additional outer membrane containing lipo-
from 12% and also for S mutans, which inhibition started from polysaccharide, which face the external environment. The
the smallest concentration from 1.93% and increased and scarce width of the cell wall increases the vulnerability of these
maintained to 7.79%. Bacillus subtilis had no inhibitory effect bacteria to copper ions released by the nanoparticles on the
even at high CuONPs concentration. The turbidity of the polymer. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the gram-negative and the
media was observed at various time intervals in order to reg- main pathogenic bacteria of nosocomial infections, was used to
ister changes in bacteria growth rate. Only 2 gram-negative investigate the antimicrobial activity of our PCL-CuONPs
bacteria had significant differences compared to the control, membranes. After exposure of the composite fibers in the bac-
E coli, which growth velocity decreased at the highest con- terial suspension, the inhibition growth of P aeruginosa was
centration of copper and P aeruginosa which growth rate observed by turbidimetry. The results demonstrated that the
10 Dose-Response: An International Journal

Figure 11. Comparative growth curve of (A) Escherichia coli and (C) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and their respective box plot charts (B and D)
indicating the differences in growth rate after being exposed to different concentrations for PCL-CuONPs. PCL-CuONPs indicates polyca-
prolactone with copper oxide nanoparticles.

prepared membranes with CuONPs had the strongest antibac- pure PCL fibers; however, the presence and concentration of
terial effect against these pathogenic bacteria, which would CuONPs determined gradually the antimicrobial activity on
significantly reduce the risk of postoperative infections. bacteria, such as P aeruginosa, which the MIC was displayed
Microorganisms develop drug resistance by various at 25 mM. Also, gram-negative bacteria demonstrated to be
mechanisms, the new advances in nanocomposites given the more sensitive to PCL-CuONPs composites than gram-
opportunity to be an alternative to diseases caused by drug- positive strains, determining a dose-dependent activity. The
resistant microorganisms. The expansion of technology for the PCL-CuONPs composites obtained by electrospinning tech-
synthesis of nanocomposites has also transformed the field nique demonstrated to have a high potential for biomedical
of nanomedicine. The synthesis of NPs by easy methods applications. The composites provided an alternative for the
reduces the environmental damage related to chemical synth- treatment of many diseases that are difficult to treat by
esis (Figure 11). present-day methodology.

Acknowledgments
Conclusion
Thanks to PRODEP, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez and
Polycaprolactone with CuONPs fibers with diameters ranging CONACYT for supporting this investigation.
from 925 to 1080 nm were successfully obtained by electro-
spinning technique. Orientation, morphology, and diameter
were influenced by the increment on CuONPs concentration, Declaration of Conflicting Interests
with the smaller diameter present in samples prepared from low The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to
concentrated solutions. Bacterial growth was not affected by the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Muñoz-Escobar et al 11

Funding natural water: filling the data gaps for risk assessment. Sci Total
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for Environ. 2019;647:973-980.
the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: PRODEP, 12. Mohanraj R.Antimicrobial activities of metallic and metal oxide
Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, and CONACYT. nanoparticles from plant extracts. In: Grumezescu AM, ed. Anti-
microbial Nanoarchitectonics. Romania: Elsevier; 2017.
ORCID iD 13. Taran M, Rad M, Alavi M. Antibacterial activity of copper oxide
Simón Yobanny Reyes-López https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9017-3 (CuO) nanoparticles biosynthesized by Bacillus sp. FU4: optimi-
233 zation of experiment design. Pharm Sci. 2017;23(3):198-206.
14. Muwaffak Z, Goyanes A, Clark V, Basit AW, Hilton ST, Gaisford
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