In vivo testing of silver treated fibers for the evaluation of skin irritation effect and hypoallergenicity.

Abstract

Textiles are a fertile breeding ground for a multitude of micro-organisms under appropriate conditions of moisture and temperature. The broad-spectrum biocide properties of silver are well known and many technologies have been developed so far to treat textiles with silver. The efficacy of the silver deposition technology presented in this article has been already demonstrated in previous works, where the strong adhesion of silver nanoparticles to the substrate and their antibacterial capability have been assessed. This work focuses on the evaluation of any possible interaction of silver treated cotton with human skin, in terms of skin irritation and hypoallergenicity. Moreover, the presence of silver and the antibacterial capability against Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, namely Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, were verified even after several washing cycles in order to develop a product with long-term antibacterial capability and no adverse effects in terms of skin irritation and hypoallergenicity.