Application of Prodigiosin Extracts in Textile Dyeing and Novel Printing Processes for Halochromic and Antimicrobial Wound Dressings

Alves, Cátia; Soares-Castro, Pedro; Fernandes, Rui D. V.; Pereira, Adriana; Rodrigues, Rui; Fonseca, Ana Rita; Santos, Nuno C.; Zille, Andrea

doi:10.3390/biom15081113

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Application of Prodigiosin Extracts in Textile Dyeing and Novel Printing Processes for Halochromic and Antimicrobial Wound Dressings

by

Cátia Alves

^1,†

,

Pedro Soares-Castro

^2,†,

Rui D. V. Fernandes

¹

,

Adriana Pereira

¹

,

Rui Rodrigues

¹

,

Ana Rita Fonseca

²,

Nuno C. Santos

^2,3,*

and

Andrea Zille

^1,*

¹

Centre for Textile Science and Technology (2C2T), Department of Textile Engineering, University of Minho, Campus of Azurém, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal

²

GIMM—Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-035 Lisbon, Portugal

³

Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

Authors contributed equally to the manuscript.

Biomolecules 2025, 15(8), 1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15081113 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 18 June 2025 / Revised: 25 July 2025 / Accepted: 31 July 2025 / Published: 1 August 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Biomaterials in Medicine and Healthcare)

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Abstract

The textile industry’s reliance on synthetic dyes contributes significantly to pollution, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives like biopigments. This study investigates the production and application of the biopigment prodigiosin, which was produced by Pseudomonas putida with a yield of 1.85 g/L. Prodigiosin was prepared under acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions, resulting in varying protonation states that influenced its affinity for cotton and polyester fibers. Three surfactants (anionic, cationic, non-ionic) were tested, with non-ionic Tween 80 yielding a promising color strength (above 4) and fastness results with neutral prodigiosin at 1.3 g/L. Cotton and polyester demonstrated good washing (color difference up to 14 for cotton, 5 for polyester) and light fastness (up to 15 for cotton, 16 for polyester). Cellulose acetate, used in the conventional printing process as a thickener, produced superior color properties compared to commercial thickeners. Neutral prodigiosin achieved higher color strength, and cotton fabrics displayed halochromic properties, distinguishing them from polyester, which showed excellent fastness. Prodigiosin-printed samples also exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and retained halochromic properties over 10 pH cycles. These findings suggest prodigiosin as a sustainable dye alternative and pH sensor, with potential applications in biomedical materials, such as antimicrobial and pH-responsive wound dressings.

Keywords: biopigment; Pseudomonas; sustainable textiles; novel printing; surfactants; biopolymers; dyeing process

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MDPI and ACS Style

Alves, C.; Soares-Castro, P.; Fernandes, R.D.V.; Pereira, A.; Rodrigues, R.; Fonseca, A.R.; Santos, N.C.; Zille, A. Application of Prodigiosin Extracts in Textile Dyeing and Novel Printing Processes for Halochromic and Antimicrobial Wound Dressings. Biomolecules 2025, 15, 1113. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15081113

AMA Style

Alves C, Soares-Castro P, Fernandes RDV, Pereira A, Rodrigues R, Fonseca AR, Santos NC, Zille A. Application of Prodigiosin Extracts in Textile Dyeing and Novel Printing Processes for Halochromic and Antimicrobial Wound Dressings. Biomolecules. 2025; 15(8):1113. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15081113

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alves, Cátia, Pedro Soares-Castro, Rui D. V. Fernandes, Adriana Pereira, Rui Rodrigues, Ana Rita Fonseca, Nuno C. Santos, and Andrea Zille. 2025. "Application of Prodigiosin Extracts in Textile Dyeing and Novel Printing Processes for Halochromic and Antimicrobial Wound Dressings" Biomolecules 15, no. 8: 1113. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15081113

APA Style

Alves, C., Soares-Castro, P., Fernandes, R. D. V., Pereira, A., Rodrigues, R., Fonseca, A. R., Santos, N. C., & Zille, A. (2025). Application of Prodigiosin Extracts in Textile Dyeing and Novel Printing Processes for Halochromic and Antimicrobial Wound Dressings. Biomolecules, 15(8), 1113. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom15081113

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Application of Prodigiosin Extracts in Textile Dyeing and Novel Printing Processes for Halochromic and Antimicrobial Wound Dressings

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