Application of Antimicrobial Rubber-Coated Cotton Gloves for Mangosteen-Peel-Extract-Mediated Biosynthesis of Ag–ZnO Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites based on metal nanoparticles (MNP) prepared with mangosteen (_mgt) peel extract-mediated biosynthesis of Ag_mgt/Zn_mgt have attracted considerable interest due to their potential for various practical applications. In this study, their role in developing antibacterial protection for rubber cotton gloves is investigated. The process of mangosteen-peel-extract-mediated biosynthesis produced Ag_mgt/Zn_mgt nanocomposites with respective diameters of 23.84 ± 4.08 nm and 30.99 ± 5.73 nm, which were assessed in the context of antimicrobial rubber-coated gloves. The rubber glover surface exhibited a very dense deposition of the Ag+Zn_mgt nanocomposite, which subsequently demonstrated level 4 resistance to punctures under the ANSI-ISEA 105-2016 standard. This could be attributed to the Zn-cellulose double formation on the rubber surface. Notably, on testing the inhibition of bacterial growth, the extract with the Ag_mgt nanoparticles presented the least concentration capable of growth inhibition in comparison to the extracts with Zn_mgt and Ag+Zn_mgt nanoparticles. Each of the mangosteen extracts was shown to inhibit bacterial growth when tested against both Gram-positive cocci and Gram-negative bacilli, with MIC in the range 40-320 µg/mL. The growth of drug-resistant bacteria (MRSA) could also be inhibited with an MIC value of 160 µg/mL, and with 30 min of contact, gloves with respective coatings of Zn_mgt and Ag+Zn_mgt extract nanocomposites were shown to inhibit <i>K. pneumoniae</i> and MRSA. However, while effective bacterial inhibition occurred with the suspensions, the coatings on glove surfaces required a lengthy incubation period (contact time) of at least 30 min for efficacy.