Degradation of double-stranded xanthan by hydrogen peroxide in the presence of ferrous ions: comparison to acid hydrolysis

A review of the enzymatic, physical, and chemical modification techniques of xanthan gum

Xanthan gum (XG), a bacterial polysaccharide has numerous valuable characteristics in the food, biomedical, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture sector. However, XG has also its particular limitations such as its vulnerability to microbial contamination, inadequate mechanical and thermal stability, unusable viscosity, and poor water solubility. Therefore, XG's structure and conformation need to be modified enzymatically, chemically, or physically to improve its optimistic features and decrease the formation of crystals, increase antioxidant ability, and radical scavenging activity. We have found out different means to modify XG and elaborate the importance and significance of the modified structure of XG. In this review, different enzymes are reviewed for XG degradation, which modifies their structure from different points (main chain or side chain). This article also reviews various physical methods (ultrasound, shear, pressure, sonication, annealing, and heat treatments) based on prevailing publications to alter XG conformation and produce low molecular weight (LMW) and less viscous end-product. Moreover, some chemical means are also discussed that result in modified XG through crosslinking, grafting, acetylation, pyruvation, as well as by applying different chemical agents. Overall, the current progress on XG degradation is very auspicious to develop a new molecule with considerable uses, in various industries with future assessments.

Stability of cationic and amphoteric derivatives of mannan from the yeast Candida albicans

Infection with Candida albicans can prove lethal in immuno-compromised patients. It is imperative to develop a vaccine against this common organism. The amphoteric derivatives of the mannan component of the Candida cell wall may present a prospective target for the development of such a vaccine; however, the radical processing by antigen-presenting cells of the immune system is not fully understood. In this work a set of tailor-made cationic and amphoteric derivatives of three different degrees of quaternization (DS_Q 0.14-0.38) has been prepared by chemical modification of ultrasonically-treated mannan and three carboxymethylated mannan derivatives (DS_CM 0.13-0.32). These were exposed to free-radical attack by OH, generated in situ by the Fenton reaction. Potential changes in composition, DS_Q, and molar mass distribution due to free-radical degradation were monitored by elemental analysis, NMR and FTIR spectroscopies, and size exclusion chromatography. A protective effect of quaternization against OH degradation was found. Non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis found that the thermal stability of this mannan was also improved by chemical modification.

Ultrasound degradation of xanthan polymer in aqueous solution: Its scission mechanism and the effect of NaCl incorporation

Degradation of xanthan polymer in aqueous solution by ultrasonic irradiation was investigated. The effects of selected variables i.e. sonication intensity, irradiation time, concentration of xanthan gum and molar concentration of NaCl in solution were studied. Combined approach of full factorial design and conventional one-factor-at-a-time was applied to obtain optimum degradation at sonication power intensity of 11.5Wcm^-2, irradiation time 120min and 0.1gL^-1 xanthan in a salt-free solution. Molecular weight reduction of xanthan gum under sonication was described by an exponential decay function with higher rate constant for polymer degradation in the salt free solution. The limiting molecular weight where fragments no longer undergo scission was determined from the function. The incorporation of NaCl in xanthan solution resulted in a lower limiting molecular weight. The ultrasound-mediated degradation of aqueous xanthan polymer chain agreed with a random scission model. Side chain of xanthan polymer is proposed to be the primary site of scission action.

Radiofrequency-oxidation treatment of sewage sludge

A novel thermal-chemical treatment technology using radiofrequency heating and oxidants (hydrogen peroxide, ozone and a combination of both) was used for the treatment of sewage sludge. This was to evaluate the process effectiveness on cell disintegration and nutrient release of sludge, physical property changes such as particle size distribution, dewaterability and settleability, and their inter-relationships. The effectiveness of treatment processes was in the following order, from the most to least: thermal-oxidation process, oxidation process and thermal process. The thermal-oxidation process greatly increased cell disintegration and nutrient release, improved settleability, and decreased particle sizes. The treatment scheme involving ozone addition followed by hydrogen peroxide and radiofrequency heating yielded the highest soluble chemical oxygen demand, volatile fatty acids, ammonia and metals, while proffering the shortest capillary suction time and excellent settling properties.

Antioxidant effect of 0.2% xanthan gum in ocular surface corneal epithelial cells

PURPOSE

Oxidative damage and inflammation are expected to be involved in age-related functional decline of lachrymal gland, that induces lachrymal dysfunction; this resulting in dry eye disease. Therefore, we investigated the potential antioxidant effect of 0.2% xanthan gum (XNT) in human corneal epithelial cells (HCE), in comparison with other widely used tear substitute polymers, such as 0.2% hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), 0.2% hyaluronic acid (HA) and 0.5% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC).

METHODS

Subconfluent (80%) HCE (Human Corneal Epithelial) cultures were treated with the different polysaccharides at the above reported concentrations. The effect of every polymer was investigated with and without 0.5 mM H2O2 In detail, hydrogen peroxide was added 1 hour after the addition of polysaccharides. Twelve hours later, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (dichlorofluorescein diacetate spectrofluorimetric test) was assessed and their values were normalized versus protein content. Morphological analysis was performed by optical microscopy.

RESULTS

No morphological differences in HCE compared to control cells (CTRL, cells treated with the buffer used for polymer solubilization) were observed in any of the tested polymers, whereas, in the presence of 0.5 mM H2O2 HCE clearly showed signs of cytotoxicity. Polymers did protect cultures from oxidative stress with XNT>HA = HEC>CMC, as evidenced by microscopic analysis. These results were confirmed from ROS measurements, which showed XNT as the only polysaccharide to restore the levels of ROS comparable to CTRL, in presence of H2O2.

CONCLUSIONS

0.2% xanthan gum was able to protect HCE by oxidative stress, bringing the ROS level down to CTRL values. Considering that in dry eye syndrome oxidative stress sustains inflammation and apoptotic cell death, the use of xanthan gum in ophthalmic preparations could be beneficial.

Isolation and characterization of a xanthan-degrading Microbacterium sp. strain XT11 from garden soil

AIMS

Isolation and characterization of the xanthan-degrading Microbacterium sp. XT11.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The bacterial isolate XT11, capable of fragmenting xanthan, has been isolated from soil sample. Morphological and biochemical analyses, as well as 16S rRNA gene sequence comparisons, demonstrated that strain XT11 should be grouped in the genus Microbacterium, and represented a new member in this family. Xanthan could be degraded by the xanthan-degrading enzyme released from strain XT11. It has been shown that xantho-oligosaccharides fragmented from xanthan had both elicitor activity and antibacterial effect against Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris.

CONCLUSIONS

The xanthan-degrading enzyme produced by the newly isolated XT11 could fragment xanthan to form oligosaccharides.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Xanthan-degrading products would be useful for potential application in the control of black rot of cruciferous plants caused by X. campestris pv. campestris and, as an oligosaccharide elicitor, in making these plants resistant to disease.

The examination of polysaccharides as potential antioxidative compounds for topical administration using a lipid model system

Aim of this study was the detection of polysaccharides with antioxidative properties as potential lipid protectors for topical administration. The effects of eight different polysaccharides on UV irradiation induced lipid peroxidation were investigated in a concentration dependent manner. An aqueous linolenic acid dispersion was used as an in vitro test system to examine the influences of acacia gum, agar agar, alginic acid, guar gum, novelose 330 and xanthan gum on the lipid peroxidation level after UV exposure. Four different samples of pectin and locust bean gum resulting from a swing mill grinding series were tested as well. Iron ions were added as transition metal catalysts. A UV irradiation device was used to create high level radiation. The amount of lipid peroxidation secondary products was quantified by the thiobarbituric acid assay detecting malondialdehyde. All of the tested polysaccharides showed antioxidative effects at least at one concentration. For acacia and xanthan gum, a concentration dependency of the protective effects was measured. The samples of agar agar, guar gum and novelose 330 acted antioxidatively without showing any concentration dependency. For alginic acid, prooxidative effects were determined. A correlation between grinding time and the effects of pectin and locust bean gum on the model lipid was not observed. The administration of lipid protective polysaccharides in cosmetic formulations or sunscreens could be helpful for the protection of the human skin against UV induced damage. In vivo experiments with the lipid protective polysaccharides found in this study should follow.

Oxidative stress in microorganisms--I. Microbial vs. higher cells--damage and defenses in relation to cell aging and death

Oxidative stress in microbial cells shares many similarities with other cell types but it has its specific features which may differ in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. We survey here the properties and actions of primary sources of oxidative stress, the role of transition metals in oxidative stress and cell protective machinery of microbial cells, and compare them with analogous features of other cell types. Other features to be compared are the action of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) on cell constituents, secondary lipid- or protein-based radicals and other stress products. Repair of oxidative injury by microorganisms and proteolytic removal of irreparable cell constituents are briefly described. Oxidative damage of aerobically growing microbial cells by endogenously formed ROS mostly does not induce changes similar to the aging of multiplying mammalian cells. Rapid growth of bacteria and yeast prevents accumulation of impaired macromolecules which are repaired, diluted or eliminated. During growth some simple fungi, such as yeast or Podospora spp., exhibit aging whose primary cause seems to be fragmentation of the nucleolus or impairment of mitochondrial DNA integrity. Yeast cell aging seems to be accelerated by endogenous oxidative stress. Unlike most growing microbial cells, stationary-phase cells gradually lose their viability because of a continuous oxidative stress, in spite of an increased synthesis of antioxidant enzymes. Unlike in most microorganisms, in plant and animal cells a severe oxidative stress induces a specific programmed death pathway--apoptosis. The scant data on the microbial death mechanisms induced by oxidative stress indicate that in bacteria cell death can result from activation of autolytic enzymes (similarly to the programmed mother-cell death at the end of bacillary sporulation). Yeast and other simple eukaryotes contain components of a proapoptotic pathway which are silent under normal conditions but can be activated by oxidative stress or by manifestation of mammalian death genes, such as bak or bax. Other aspects, such as regulation of oxidative-stress response, role of defense enzymes and their control, acquisition of stress tolerance, stress signaling and its role in stress response, as well as cross-talk between different stress factors, will be the subject of a subsequent review.