A potential new approach for preserving historical artifacts through gamma irradiation and green antimicrobials: Microbiological and theoretical screening
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Date
2025-08-16
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Abstract
This study presents a novel combined treatment process for the decontamination of historical textiles, using
gamma irradiation with green antimicrobial agents. Microbiological studies and theoretical approaches were
utilized to investigate the effect of treatment processes individually and in combination on isolates from the
textile museum. The mean D10 values and the required doses for complete inactivation were found to be 1.19 and
7.60 kGy for bacteria cocktail and 1.47 and 6.32 kGy for mold cocktail, respectively. The antimicrobial activities
of two Schiff bases and their reduced derivatives were tested against gamma-resistant microorganisms by
measuring the diameter of the inhibition zones. It was found that reduced derivatives exhibited higher antibacterial
activity. All compounds were screened through an in-silico study to evaluate the physicochemical
properties, drug-likeness, and toxicity profile. Molecular docking studies were performed to investigate the
binding affinity of the title compounds against E. coli DNA gyrase B and topoisomerase IV. From the perspectives
of both in vitro studies and computational analysis, L4 exhibited the highest biological activity. This finding
revealed that the reduction of the imine bond and molecular flexibility have a significant influence on binding to
the active site of the biomolecule. Finally, the combined treatment utilizing L4 with gamma irradiation
demonstrated a synergistic effect, leading to a 2.6-fold reduction compared to the control, whereas the individual
treatments of L4 and gamma irradiation exhibited approximately a 1-fold reduction. This synergistic effect
presents an innovative approach to the historical artifact preservation, providing a more efficient and potentially
safer decontamination strategy.
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Keywords
Ionizing radiation, Cultural heritage, Antimicrobial agents, Combined treatment Density functional theory, Density functional theory, Molecular docking