Berberine and its derivatives in collagen matrices as antimicrobial agents

The combination of collagen with natural plant compounds confers anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities to the polymeric material. These favorable properties enable broad-spectrum application of traditional, natural polymers in biomedicine. In the present study, natural fish collagen was combined with commercially available berberine (BBR) and naturally occurring protoberberine alkaloids obtained from the medicinal herb Chelidonium majus L (BBR-F). The incorporation of plant constituents into collagen matrices was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. The antimicrobial properties of the plant-polymeric composites were assessed against typical pathogenic microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans). The plant-based collagen matrices inhibited the growth of all the studied pathogens.