Preparation and Biochemical Activity of Copper-Coated Cellulose Nonwoven Fabric Via Magnetron Sputtering and Alginate-Calcium Ion Complexation

Alginate-based materials have gained significant recognition in the medical industry due to their favorable biochemical properties. As a continuation of our previous studies, we have introduced a new composite consisting of cellulose nonwoven fabric charged with a metallic copper core (CNW-Cu0) covered with a calcium alginate (ALG−Ca2+) layer. The preparation process for these materials involved three main steps: coating the cellulose nonwoven fabric with copper via magnetron sputtering (CNW → CNW-Cu0), subsequent deposition with sodium alginate (CNW-Cu0 → CNW-Cu0/ALG−Na+), followed by cross-linking the alginate chains with calcium ions (CNW-Cu0/ALG−Na+ → CNW-Cu0/ALG−Ca2+). The primary objective of the work was to supply these composites with such biological attributes as antibacterial and hemostatic activity. Namely, equipping the antibacterial materials (copper action on representative Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungal strains) with induction of blood plasma clotting processes (activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and prothrombin time (PT)). We determined the effect of CNW-Cu0/ALG−Ca2+ materials on the viability of Peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells. Moreover, we studied the interactions of CNW-Cu0/ALG−Ca2+ materials with DNA using the relaxation plasmid assay. However, results showed CNW-Cu0/ALG−Ca2+’s cytotoxic properties against PBM cells in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, the CNW-Cu0/ALG−Ca2+ composite exhibited the potential to interact directly with DNA. The results demonstrated that the CNW-Cu0/ALG−Ca2+ composites synthesized show promising potential for wound dressing applications.