The negative consequences of biofilms are widely reported. A defining feature of biofilms is the extracellular matrix, a complex mixture of biomacromolecules, termed EPS, which contributes to reduced ...antimicrobial susceptibility. EPS targeting is a promising, but underexploited, approach to biofilm control allowing disruption of the matrix and thereby increasing the susceptibility to antimicrobials. Nanoparticles (NPs) can play a very important role as ’carriers’ of EPS matrix disruptors, and several approaches have recently been proposed. In this review, we discuss the application of nanoparticles as antibiofilm technologies with a special emphasis on the role of the EPS matrix in the physicochemical regulation of the nanoparticle–biofilm interaction. We highlight the use of nanoparticles as a platform for a new generation of antibiofilm approaches.
Self-adhering bacterial communities embedded in a matrix of hydrated macromolecules, known as biofilms, are prevalent and widespread. The matrix offers protection to the bacteria, reducing the cell susceptibility to antimicrobials.Functional nanoparticles are a promising technology to control or eradicate biofilms, providing the ability to enhance antimicrobial transport to the cell vicinity or alternatively to carry matrix dispersion agents.Critical to the development of novel strategies to control biofilm infections is an in-depth knowledge of the biofilm matrix which is still poorly understood due to its spatial and chemical variability and complexityA fundamental understanding of NP–EPS interactions has the potential to improve our ability to design more effective antibiofilm strategies.
•A 60L MABR was successfully employed to treat ammonium rich landfill leachate.•Oxygen transfer rates as high as 35gO2/m2-day were achieved.•Oxygen transfer efficiencies in excess of 80% were ...achieved.•Standard aeration efficiencies that exceeded 10kgO2/kWh.
A 60L membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) was successfully employed to treat landfill leachate, which contained very high concentrations of refractory chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium. Air or pure oxygen was supplied to the bioreactor through polydimethyl siloxane hollow fibre membranes. Over a year of operation with an average hydraulic retention time of about 5days, and influent ammonium concentrations ranging from 500 to 2500mg/L, the MABR achieved 80–99% nitrification. Simultaneously, the influent COD concentrations which ranged from 1000 to 3000mg/L were reduced by approximately 200–500mg/L. Oxygen transfer rates as high as 35gO2/m2-day were achieved during the study. By operating at low gas flowrates, high oxygen transfer efficiencies were achieved without any negative impact on oxygen transfer rates. This suggested that the biofilm was not oxygen limited during this study. The very low gas flowrates and the low pressure losses required to move air through the membranes resulted in very high standard aeration efficiencies that exceeded 10kgO2/kWh. The results indicate that mixing energy far exceeded that required for aeration in this study. Our results suggest that with process optimisation, MABR technology offers a low energy option for effective leachate treatment.
The ubiquitous nature of bacterial biofilms combined with the enhanced resistance towards antimicrobials has led to the development of an increasing number of strategies for biofilm eradication. Such ...strategies must take into account the existence of extracellular polymeric substances, which obstruct the diffusion of antibiofilm agents and assists in the maintenance of a well-defended microbial community. Within this context, nanoparticles have been studied for their drug delivery efficacy and easily customised surface. Nevertheless, there usually is a requirement for nanocarriers to be used in association with an antimicrobial agent; the intrinsically antimicrobial nanoparticles are most often made of metals or metal oxides, which is not ideal from ecological and biomedical perspectives. Based on this, the use of polymeric micelles as nanocarriers is appealing as they can be easily prepared using biodegradable organic materials.
In the present work, micelles comprised of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and dextran are prepared and then functionalised with curcumin. The effect of the functionalisation in the micelle's physical properties was elucidated, and the antibacterial and antibiofilm activities were assessed for the prepared polymeric nanoparticles against Pseudomonas spp. cells and biofilms. It was found that the nanoparticles have good penetration into the biofilms, which resulted in enhanced antibacterial activity of the conjugated micelles when compared to free curcumin. Furthermore, the curcumin-functionalised micelles were efficient at disrupting mature biofilms and demonstrated antibacterial activity towards biofilm-embedded cells.
Curcumin-functionalised poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-dextran micelles are novel nanostructures with an intrinsic antibacterial activity tested against two Pseudomonas spp. strains that have the potential to be further exploited to deliver a secondary bioactive molecule within its core.
Membrane biofilm reactors are a growing trend in wastewater treatment whereby gas-transfer membranes provide efficient bubbleless aeration. Recently, there has been a growing interest in using these ...bioreactors for industrial biotechnology using microorganisms that can metabolise gaseous substrates. Since gas fermentation is limited by the low solubilities of gaseous substrates in liquid media, it is critical to characterise mass transfer rates of gaseous substrates to enable the design of membrane biofilm reactors. The objective of this study is to measure and analyse mass transfer rates and reaction engineering characteristics for a single tube membrane biofilm reactor using
H16. At elevated Reynolds numbers, the dominant resistance for gas diffusion shifts from the liquid boundary layer to the membrane. The biofilm growth rate was observed to decrease after 260 μm at 96 h. After 144 h, some sloughing of the biofilm occurred. Oxygen uptake rate and substrate utilisation rate for the biofilm developed showed that the biofilm changes from a single-substrate limited regime to a dual-substrate-limited regime after 72 h which alters the localisation of the microbial activity within the biofilm. This study shows that this platform technology has potential applications for industrial biotechnology.
Biofilms are microbial communities embedded in an extracellular polymeric matrix and display an enhanced tolerance to the action of antimicrobials. The emergence of novel functionalised nanoparticles ...is considered a promising avenue for the development of biofilm-specific antimicrobial technologies. However, there is a gap in the understanding of interactions between nanoparticles and the biofilm matrix. Particularly, questions are raised on how nanoparticle charge and surface groups play a role in aggregation when in contact with biofilm components. Herein we present the synthesis of four types of silica nanoparticles and undertake an analysis of their interactions with Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilm matrix. The effect of the biofilm matrix components on the charge and aggregation of the nanoparticles was assessed. Additionally, the study focused on the role of matrix proteins, with the in-depth characterisation of the protein corona of each nanoparticle by Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry experiments. The protein corona composition is dependent on the nanoparticle type; non-functionalised nanoparticles show less protein selectivity, whereas carboxylate-functionalised nanoparticles prefer proteins with a higher isoelectric point. These outcomes provide insights into the field of biofilm-nanoparticle interactions that can be valuable for the design of new nano-based targeting systems in future anti-biofilm applications.
Diffusion of the electron acceptor is the rate controlling step in virtually all biofilm reactors employed for aerobic wastewater treatment. The membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) is a ...technology that can deliver oxygen at high rates and transfer efficiencies, thereby enhancing the biofilm activity. This paper provides a comparative performance rate analysis of the MABR in terms of its application for carbonaceous pollutant removal, nitrification/denitrification and xenobiotic biotreatment. We also describe the mechanisms influencing process performance in the MABR and the inter-relationships between these factors. The challenges involved in scaling-up the process are discussed with recommendations for prioritization of research needs.
The contribution of the biofilm extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix to reduced antimicrobial susceptibility in biofilms is widely recognised. As such, the direct targeting of the EPS ...matrix is a promising biofilm control strategy that allows for the disruption of the matrix, thereby allowing a subsequent increase in susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. To this end, surface-functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) have received considerable attention. However, the fundamental understanding of the interactions occurring between engineered NPs and the biofilm EPS matrix has not yet been fully elucidated. An insight into the underlying mechanisms involved when a NP interacts with the EPS matrix will aid in the design of more efficient NPs for biofilm control. Here we demonstrate the use of highly specific fluorescent probes in confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to illustrate the distribution of EPS macromolecules within the biofilm. Thereafter, a three-dimensional (3D) colocalization analysis was used to assess the affinity of differently functionalized silica NPs (SiNPs) and EPS macromolecules from Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms. Results show that both the charge and surface functional groups of SiNPs dramatically affected the extent to which SiNPs interacted and localized with EPS macromolecules, including proteins, polysaccharides and DNA. Hypotheses are also presented about the possible physicochemical interactions which may be dominant in EPS matrix-NP interactions. This research not only develops an innovative CLSM-based methodology for elucidating biofilm-nanoparticle interactions but also provides a platform on which to build more efficient NP systems for biofilm control.
•Study of NP-EPS interaction via novel combinations of specific probes and CLSM.•Colocalization analysis revealed surface dependent high affinity NP-EPS interactions.•NP surface functionalization strongly affects their interaction with the EPS matrix.•NPs show differential binding to proteins, polysaccharides and eDNA in the EPS.
Recent studies have shown that insect wings have evolved to have micro- and nanoscale structures on the wing surface, and biomimetic research aims to transfer such structures to application-specific ...materials. Herein, we describe a simple and cost-effective method of replica molding the wing topographies of four cicada species using UV-curable polymers. Different polymer blends of polyethylene glycol diacrylate and polypropylene glycol diacrylate were used as molding materials and a molding chamber was designed to precisely control the x, y, and z dimensions. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed that structures ranged from 148 to 854 nm in diameter, with a height range of 191-2368 nm, and wing patterns were transferred with high fidelity to the crosslinked polymer. Finally, bacterial cell studies show that the wing replicas possess the same antibacterial effect as the cicada wing from which they were molded. Overall, this work shows a quick and simple method for patterning UV-curable polymers without the use of expensive equipment, making it a highly accessible means of producing microstructured materials with biological properties.
Summary
The modelling and optimization of a process for the production of the medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl‐PHA) by the bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 when fed a synthetic fatty ...acid mixture (SFAM) was investigated. Four novel feeding strategies were developed and tested using a constructed model and the optimum one implemented in further experiments. This strategy yielded a cell dry weight of 70.6 g l−1 in 25 h containing 38% PHA using SFAM at 5 l scale. A phosphate starvation strategy was implemented to improve PHA content, and this yielded 94.1 g l−1 in 25 h containing 56% PHA using SFAM at 5 l scale. The process was successfully operated at 20 l resulting in a cell dry weight of 91.2 g l−1 containing 65% PHA at the end of a 25‐h incubation.
The modelling and optimisation of a process for the production of the medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate (mcl‐PHA) by the bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 when fed a synthetic fatty acid mixture (SFAM) was investigated. Four novel feeding strategies were developed and tested using a constructed model and the optimum one implemented in further experiments.
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