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.