https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-026-02237-7
Regular Article
Sustainable fabrication of functionalized 2,3-dialdehyde cellulose-derived Schiff bases with enhanced antioxidant and antimicrobial potentials
1
Department of Chemistry, UIS, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
2
Department of Biotechnology, UIBT, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India
3
University Centre for Research and Development (UCRD), Chandigarh University, Gharuan, 140413, Mohali, Punjab, India
4
Department of Physics Graphic Era (Deemed to be) University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
5
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Arts, Najran University, P.O. Box 1988, 11001, Najran, Saudi Arabia
6
Advanced Materials and Nano-Research Centre (AMNRC), Najran University, P.O. Box 1988, 11001, Najran, Saudi Arabia
a
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b
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Received:
16
October
2025
Accepted:
23
February
2026
Published online:
28
March
2026
Abstract
Recent advances in green chemistry for antimicrobial applications focus on greener synthesis routes, biobased catalysts, and nano-/biobased antimicrobials aimed at tackling resistance while reducing environmental impact. Key directions include green routes to metal and organic antimicrobials, enzyme-driven drug synthesis, advanced delivery platforms, and smart, targeted agents. A cellulose-based Schiff base was synthesized through the condensation reaction of dialdehyde cellulose (2,3-DAC) and taurine, and its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were evaluated. Characterization of cellulose and its green derivative was performed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), which are essential for a detailed understanding of the compound’s chemical composition, crystal structure, and thermal behavior, respectively. The radical scavenging activity of the cellulose and its derivatives was assessed by investigating diverse in vitro enzymatic as well as non-enzymatic antioxidant activities using superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Furthermore, the samples were tested for their microbial inhibition activity using the disk diffusion method on two bacteria, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus (MTC96) and Bacillus cereus (MTC430), followed by two fungi, i.e., Aspergillus niger (MTC282) and Mucor indicus (MTC10701). Among them, the biosynthesised DAC@Taurine showed the highest inhibition of antioxidant enzymes and free radicals, whose activity increases with increased concentration. Additionally, DAC@Taurine possesses significant antimicrobial activity against different microbial strains. Biocatalysis is emerging as a core green chemistry tool to build or modify antimicrobial molecules under mild, aqueous conditions, reducing hazardous reagents and waste. Enzymes and whole-cell catalysts are being used to introduce highly selective transformations that are challenging by traditional routes, improving atom economy and step efficiency. These findings suggest that the cellulose-based Schiff base derivatives possess strong antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, along with nontoxicity and good biocompatibility, making them promising candidates for various applications, such as food packaging, drug delivery systems, the textiles industry, water treatment, and biomedical treatment.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
