Fungal-Derived Chitosan from In Vitro Mushroom Cultures as an Antimicrobial Matrix for Silver Nanoparticles in Advanced Bioactive Materials.

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Citation abstract

This study investigates chitosan extracted from in vitro cultures of Hericium erinaceus and Pleurotus ostreatus mushrooms as a novel antimicrobial matrix. The physicochemical properties including specific surface area, pore volume, and molecular structure were characterized by BET, SEM, and FTIR-ATR analyses. Chitosan from P. ostreatus exhibited a higher specific surface area (0.39 m 2 /g) compared to H. erinaceus (0.73 m 2 /g) and commercial chitosan (1.16 m 2 /g), correlating with enhanced antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains. Antibacterial efficacy was quantitatively evaluated by inhibition zone diameters, with P. ostreatus chitosan combined with silver nanoparticles achieving an average zone of 18.2 ± 0.5 mm against Escherichia coli, a 25% increase compared to chitosan alone. Thermal analysis showed improved stability upon silver modification, with endothermic peak shifts from 85 °C to 118 °C. These results demonstrate that fungal-derived chitosan, particularly from P. ostreatus, provides a bioactive matrix with significant antibacterial properties, supporting its potential for biomedical applications. The incorporation of quantitative metrics enhances the robustness and reproducibility of the findings.