Production of size-controlled gellan gum microbeads encapsulating gasoline-degrading bacteria

Colonization versus encapsulation in cell-laden materials design: porosity and process biocompatibility determine cellularization pathways

Seeding materials with living cells has been-and still is-one of the most promising approaches to reproduce the complexity and the functionality of living matter. The strategies to associate living cells with materials are limited to cell encapsulation and colonization, however, the requirements for these two approaches have been seldom discussed systematically. Here we propose a simple two-dimensional map based on materials' pore size and the cytocompatibility of their fabrication process to draw, for the first time, a guide to building cellularized materials. We believe this approach may serve as a straightforward guideline to design new, more relevant materials, able to seize the complexity and the function of biological materials. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bio-derived and bioinspired sustainable advanced materials for emerging technologies (part 1)'.

Control of temperature dependence of microbial time-temperature integrator (TTI) by microencapsulation of lactic acid bacteria into microbeads with different proportions of alginate

This study has been conducted to investigate the temperature dependence and mass transfer kinetics of a microbial time-temperature integrator (TTI) developed by using emulsification/internal ionotropic gelation method. We report the effect of the Na-alginate concentrations (0.5%, 2.0%, 4.0% and 6.0% w/v) and temperature (8, 15, 20, 25 and 30 °C) on the TTI responses (changes in pH and titratable acidity [TA]). Results revealed that Ca-alginate microbeads (Ca-AMs) prepared from 2.0% Na-alginate were more uniform and smaller, with a narrow size distribution, in comparison with the other Ca-AMs. For microbeads with above 2.0% Na-alginate, the TTI response rates decreased because of the lower diffusion efficiency. Linearity in the TA was greatest for the 2.0% Ca-AMs. Therefore, the mass transfer and TTI response kinetics data demonstrated that 2.0% Na-alginate was optimal for producing Ca-AMs from which an ideal microbial TTI could be developed to monitor food spoilage processes with accuracy and precision.

Enhanced biodegradation of hydrocarbons by Pseudomonas aeruginosa-encapsulated alginate/gellan gum microbeads

Pseudomonas aeruginosa-encapsulated alginate/gellan gum microbeads (PAGMs) were prepared at the condition of 10 g/L alginate, 1 g/L gellan gum, and 2.57 mM calcium ions, and investigated for the biodegradation of a diesel-contaminated groundwater. The degradation of diesel with PAGMs reached 71.2% after 10days in the aerobic condition, while that of suspended bacteria was only 32.0% even after 30days. The kinetic analysis showed that PAGMs had more than two-order higher second-order kinetic constant than that of the suspended bacteria. Interestingly, the degradation of diesel was ceased due to the depletion of the dissolved oxygen after 10 day in the PAGM reactor, but the microbial degradation activity was immediately restored after the addition of oxygen to 10.5 mg/L. The change in ATP concentration and the viability of bacteria showed that the microbial activity in PAGMs were maintained (66.4%, and 84.3%, respectively) even after 30days of experiment with PAGMs due to the protective barrier of the microbeads, whereas those of suspended bacteria showed significant decrease to 6.2% and 14.4% of initial value, respectively, due to the direct contact to toxic hydrocarbons. The results suggested that encapsulation of bacterial cells could be used for the enhanced biodegradation of diesel hydrocarbons in aqueous systems.

Modification of Collagen/Gelatin/Hydroxyethyl Cellulose-Based Materials by Addition of Herbal Extract-Loaded Microspheres Made from Gellan Gum and Xanthan Gum

Because consumers are nowadays focused on their health and appearance, natural ingredients and their novel delivery systems are one of the most developing fields of pharmacy, medicine, and cosmetics. The main goal of this study was to design, prepare, and characterize composite materials obtained by incorporation of microspheres into the porous polymer materials consisting of collagen, gelatin, and hydroxyethyl cellulose. Microspheres, based on gellan gum and xanthan gum with encapsulated Calendula officinalis flower extract, were produced by two methods: extrusion and emulsification. The release profile of the extract from both types of microspheres was compared. Then, obtained microparticles were incorporated into polymeric materials with a porous structure. This modification had an influence on porosity, density, swelling properties, mechanical properties, and stability of materials. Besides, in vitro tests were performed using mouse fibroblasts. Cell viability was assessed with the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The obtained materials, especially with microspheres prepared by emulsion method, can be potentially helpful when designing cosmetic forms because they were made from safely for skin ingredients used in this industry and the herbal extract was successfully encapsulated into microparticles.

Co-encapsulation of slow release compounds and Rhodococcus rhodochrous ATCC 21198 in gellan gum beads to promote the long-term aerobic cometabolic transformation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane, cis-1,2-dichloroethene and 1,4-dioxane

Rhodococcus rhodochrous ATCC 21198 (strain ATCC 21198) was successfully co-encapsulated in gellan gum beads with orthosilicates as slow release compounds (SRCs) to support aerobic cometabolism of a mixture of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCA), cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE), and 1,4-dioxane (1,4-D) at aqueous concentrations ranging from 250 to 1000 μg L-1. Oxygen (O2) consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) production showed the co-encapsulated cells utilized the alcohols that were released from the co-encapsulated SRCs. Two model SRCs, tetrabutylorthosilicate (TBOS) and tetra-s-butylorthosilicate (T2BOS), which hydrolyze to produce 1- and 2-butanol, respectively, were encapsulated in gellan gum (GG) at mass loadings as high as 10% (w/w), along with strain ATCC 21198. In the GG encapsulated beads, TBOS hydrolyzed 26 times faster than T2BOS and rates were ∼4 times higher in suspension than when encapsulated. In biologically active reactors, the co-encapsulated strain ATCC 21198 effectively utilized the SRC hydrolysis products (1- and 2-butanol) and cometabolized repeated additions of a mixture of 1,1,1-TCA, cis-DCE, and 1,4-D for over 300 days. The transformation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. Vinyl chloride (VC) and 1,1-dichloroethene (1,1-DCE) were also transformed in the reactors after 250 days. In the long-term treatment, the batch reactors with co-encapsulated T2BOS GG beads achieved similar transformation rates, but at much lower O2 consumption rates than those with TBOS. The results demonstrate that the co-encapsulation technology can be a passive method for the cometabolic treatment of dilute groundwater plumes.

Natural origin biodegradable systems in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine: present status and some moving trends

The fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine aim at promoting the regeneration of tissues or replacing failing or malfunctioning organs, by means of combining a scaffold/support material, adequate cells and bioactive molecules. Different materials have been proposed to be used as both three-dimensional porous scaffolds and hydrogel matrices for distinct tissue engineering strategies. Among them, polymers of natural origin are one of the most attractive options, mainly due to their similarities with the extracellular matrix (ECM), chemical versatility as well as typically good biological performance. In this review, the most studied and promising and recently proposed naturally derived polymers that have been suggested for tissue engineering applications are described. Different classes of such type of polymers and their blends with synthetic polymers are analysed, with special focus on polysaccharides and proteins, the systems that are more inspired by the ECM. The adaptation of conventional methods or non-conventional processing techniques for processing scaffolds from natural origin based polymers is reviewed. The use of particles, membranes and injectable systems from such kind of materials is also overviewed, especially what concerns the present status of the research that should lead towards their final application. Finally, the biological performance of tissue engineering constructs based on natural-based polymers is discussed, using several examples for different clinically relevant applications.

Gellan beads as a transparent media for protein immobilization and affinity capture

Gellan gum beads are presented as a novel substrate for protein immobilization and immobilized protein activity measurements. The optical transparency of the gellan beads down to 200 nm provides a method for direct quantitation of the amount of protein immobilized onto the beads. The ability to utilize these beads in a non-aqueous activation step allowed for a fourfold increase in the amount of protein immobilized, and this method was used to immobilize Protein A onto gellan beads at a final yield of 1.42+/-0.07 mg of Protein A/g of beads. The optical transparency also allowed for detection of the activity of the immobilized Protein A simply by measuring the absorbance of the beads following capture of rabbit IgG. This activity measurement method was compared with a traditional method utilizing the amount of protein remaining in solution after the IgG capture step. The traditional method yielded an activity measurement of 10.9+/-0.2 mg IgG/mg of Protein A, while the absorbance method showed an activity of only 7.5+/-0.3 mg IgG/mg of Protein A. The difference can be explained by the more direct measurement used in the absorbance method. The optical transparency of the beads was also evaluated in a fluorescence based IgG capture experiment, showing that detection of fluorescent IgG captured on the beads was possible with no interference from the beads.

Review and current status of emulsion/dispersion technology using an internal gelation process for the design of alginate particles

Emulsification/internal gelation has been suggested as an alternative to extrusion/external gelation in the encapsulation of several compounds including sensitive biologicals such as protein drugs. Protein-loaded microparticles offer an inert environment within the matrix and encapsulation is conducted at room temperature in a media free of organic solvents. Recently, the concept of internal gelation has been applied to formulating nanoparticles as drug delivery systems. Emulsification/internal gelation technologies available for microparticles preparation, particularly that involving alginate polymer, are described as well as recent advances towards applications in nanotechnology. Those methods show great promise as a tool for the development of encapsulation processes, especially for the new field of nanotechnology using natural polymers.

Deproteinization of gellan gum produced by Sphingomonas paucimobilis ATCC 31461

Deproteinization is a technical bottleneck in the purification of viscous water-soluble polysaccharides. The aim of this work is to provide an appropriate approach to deproteinize crude gellan gum. Several methods of deproteinization were investigated, including Sevag method, alkaline protease, papain and neutral protease. The results revealed that Sevag method had high deproteinization efficiency (87.9%), but it showed dissatisfactory recovery efficiency of gellan gum (28.6%), which made it less advisable in industrial applications. The deproteinization by alkaline protease was demonstrated in this work for the first time, indicating alkaline protease was preferred in the deproteinization of crude gellan gum with high polysaccharide recovery (89.3%) and high deproteinization efficiency (86.4%).

Modeling for gellan gum production by Sphingomonas paucimobilis ATCC 31461 in a simplified medium

Gellan gum production was carried out by Sphingomonas paucimobilis ATCC 31461 in a simplified medium with a short incubation time, and a kinetic model for understanding, controlling, and optimizing the fermentation process was proposed. The results revealed that glucose was the best carbon source and that the optimal concentration was 30 g liter(-1). As for the fermenting parameters, considerably large amounts of gellan gum were yielded by an 8-h-old culture and a 4% inoculum at 200 rpm on a rotary shaker. Under the optimized conditions, the maximum level of gellan gum (14.75 g liter(-1)) and the highest conversion efficiency (49.17%) were obtained in a 30-liter fermentor in batch fermentation. Logistic and Luedeking-Piret models were confirmed to provide a good description of gellan gum fermentation, which gave some support for the study of gellan gum fermentation kinetics. Additionally, this study is the first demonstration that gellan gum production is largely growth associated by analysis of kinetics in its batch fermentation process. Based on model prediction, higher gellan gum production (17.71 g liter(-1)) and higher conversion efficiency (57.12%) were obtained in fed-batch fermentation at the same total glucose concentration (30 g liter(-1)).

Alginate microspheres prepared by internal gelation: Development and effect on insulin stability

Recombinant human insulin was encapsulated within alginate microspheres by the emulsification/internal gelation technique with the objective of preserving protein stability during encapsulation procedure. The influence of process and formulation parameters was evaluated on the morphology and encapsulation efficiency of insulin. The in vitro release of insulin from microspheres was studied under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and the in vivo activity of protein after processing was assessed by subcutaneous administration of extracted insulin from microspheres to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Microspheres mean diameter, ranging from 21 to 287 microm, decreased with the internal phase ratio, emulsifier concentration, mixer rotational speed and increased with alginate concentration. Insulin encapsulation efficiency, near 75%, was not affected by emulsifier concentration, mixer rotational speed and zinc/insulin hexamer molar ratio but decreased either by increasing internal phase ratio and calcium/alginate mass ratio or by decreasing acid/calcium molar ratio and alginate concentration. A high insulin release, above 75%, was obtained at pH 1.2 and under simulated intestinal pH a complete dissolution of microspheres occurred. Extracted insulin from microspheres decreased hyperglycemia of diabetic rats proving to be bioactive and showing that encapsulation in alginate microspheres using the emulsification/internal gelation is an appropriate method for protein encapsulation.

Encapsulation of brewers yeast in chitosan coated carrageenan microspheres by emulsification/thermal gelation

Brewers yeast was encapsulated in kappa-carrageenan microspheres using an emulsification-thermal gelation approach. Due to heat sensitivity of the yeast at temperatures in excess of 36 degrees C, mixtures of low and high gelation temperature carrageenans were tested to obtain a blend yielding a gelation temperature under 40 degrees C. A 20:80 dispersion of 2% carrageenan sol containing cells, in warm canola oil, produced microspheres upon cooling, with a mean diameter of 450 microm and narrow size dispersion (span of 1.2). Application of a chitosan membrane coat to minimize cell release, increased the mean microsphere diameter to 700 microm, due to the coat thickness and swelling of the microspheres. This diameter was designed so as to minimize mass transfer limitations. Batch fermentations were carried out in a 3 L reactor on a commercial wort medium. Cell loading was 10(7) cells mL(-1) microspheres, and cell "burst" release was observed upon inoculation into fresh medium, whether microspheres were coated or not. The kinetics of intra- and extracapsular cell growth were determined. Increased concentrations of extracapsular free cells could be accounted for by growth in the wort medium, and by ongoing release from the gel microspheres, whether coated or not. Cell release from chitosan-coated carrageenan microspheres was less than that from uncoated microspheres, likely due to retention by the membrane coat. Growth kinetics and alpha-amino nitrogen consumption of encapsulated yeast were higher than that of free cells, and differences in alcohol and ester profiles were also observed, likely due to modified metabolism of the encapsulated yeast.

Reconstruction and computation of microscale biovolumes using geographical information systems: potential difficulties

Biofilms are bacterial colonies enveloped in a matrix of extracellular polymeric secretions. Confocal scanning laser microscopy has been used in conjunction with different image analysis techniques to investigate the structure of biofilms. A major goal is to reconstitute the three-dimensional structure of biofilms, and compute or estimate the biovolumes. Our previous research focused on the utilization of remote sensing techniques and Geographical Information Systems for quantitative analyses of confocal images. The present study investigates potential problems in microbial imaging, and uses two approaches, the program COMSTAT and a Geographical Information Systems-based method, to reconstitute three-dimensional structures and estimate biovolumes. Volumes of thirty fluorescent polymeric microspheres with a known diameter were estimated and used as a ground truth, to statistically compare both methods. In a next step, the two approaches were used to estimate the biovolume of a section through a Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm. Difficulties were encountered in image acquisition due to the optical properties of the microbeads. Our results indicate that the Geographical Information Systems approach produced results consistent with the existing COMSTAT approach, and close to theoretical values, despite many problems inherent to each phase of this process. Also, the image classification process encountered several limitations. It is suggested that the unique constraints of the microscopic world may generate additional problems, especially related to image classification.