Electron Microscopy of Rhamnolipid (Biosurfactant) Morphology: Effects of pH, Cadmium, and Octadecane

A rhamnolipid biosurfactant produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 is reported to increase the aqueous dispersion and biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons and to complex heavy metals. These reports indicate the potential for application of rhamnolipids in remediation of contaminated sites. Effective use of rhamnolipids will require understanding of rhamnolipid morphology and the effects of pH and organic and inorganic contaminants on that morphology. We used cryo-transmission electron microscopy to investigate the morphology of vitrified, frozen hydrated suspensions of rhamnolipid over a pH range of 5.5 to 8.0, and to determine the effect of a model alkane, octadecane, and a model heavy metal, cadmium, on rhamnolipid morphology. Micrographs clearly showed that rhamnolipid morphology was a function of pH, changing from lamellar, to vesicular, to micellar as pH increased. The effect of cadmium and octadecane on rhamnolipid morphology was determined at pH 6.8 and 7.0, where maximum cadmium complexation and maximum octadecane dispersion occurs. Cadmium seemed to stabilize rhamnolipid vesicle structures as shown by an increase in vesicle number and a decrease in vesicle diameter. In contrast, octadecane favored the micellar structure as shown by the complete absence of vesicles.     

Rhamnolipid Production by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas Aeruginosa</Emphasis> GIM 32 Using Different Substrates Including Molasses Distillery Wastewater

A rhamnolipid production strain newly isolated from oil-contaminated soil was identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa GIM32 by its morphology and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The effect of carbon source and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio on rhamnolipids production was investigated. Palm oil was favorable as a carbon source for rhamnolipid production. The maximum biomass and rhamnolipid concentration were 8.24 g/L and 30.4 g/L, respectively, with an optimization medium containing 50 g/L palm oil and 5 g/L sodium nitrate. Molasses distillery wastewater as an unconventional substrate for rhamnolipid production was investigated. It was found that 2.6 g/L of rhamnolipids was produced; this amount was higher than that of past reports using wastewater as a substrate. In addition, 44% of the chemical oxygen demand of wastewater was removed at the same time under the optimization condition. Eleven kinds of different molecular weight rhamnolipid homologues were identified in the rhamnolipids obtained from molasses distillery wastewater by P. aeruginosa GIM32 by LC–MS analysis.     

电喷雾质谱法分析假单胞菌的代谢产物鼠李糖脂

采用电喷雾质谱(ESI-MS)结合碰撞诱导解离(CA)技术,分析了假单胞菌BS-03,利用甘油产的鼠李糖脂提取物。根据一级和二级质谱图确定了提取物中存在23种鼠李糖脂组分,主要由4种物质(RhC10、RhC10C10、Rh2C10和Rh2C10C10)构成,其中前3种的丰度较高也较平均。该提取物中单鼠李糖脂的含量高于双鼠李糖脂,并且双鼠李糖脂的二级质谱图中普遍存在强度较高的m/z为205、247的特征碎片离子,而单鼠李糖脂中却不存在此特征碎片离子。     

Structure and Applications of a Rhamnolipid Surfactant Produced in Soybean Oil Waste

Soybean oil soapstock was utilized as an alternative carbon source for the production of rhamnolipids by Pseudomonas aeruginosa LBI strain. The chemical composition and properties of the rhamnolipid mixture obtained were determined to define its potential applications. The chemical characterization of the rhamnolipid has revealed the presence of ten different homologues. The monorhamnolipid RhaC₁₀C₁₀ and the dirhamnolipid Rha₂C₁₀C₁₀ were the main components of the mixture that showed predominance of 44% and 29%, respectively, after 144-h of cultivation. The biosurfactant was able to form stable emulsions with several hydrocarbons and showed excellent emulsification for soybean oil and chicken fat (100%). The rhamnolipid removed 67% of crude oil present in sand samples and presented antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus and Mucor miehei at 64 μg/mL and inhibition of Neurospora crassa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Micrococcus luteus at 256 μg/mL. The results demonstrated that the rhamnolipid produced in soybean oil soapstock can be useful in environmental and food industry applications.     

Bioconversion of Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate to Rhamnolipid by Pseudomonas aeruginosa: A Novel and Cost-Effective Production Strategy

The utility of rhamnolipids in industry is currently limited due to the high constraints in its economic production. In this scenario, the novel utility of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as carbon source could serve as promising cost-effective strategy. Screening of effective SDS biodegraders led to the isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa S15 capable of concomitant SDS degradation and biosurfactant synthesis. SDS-based rhamnolipid production was proved on SDS minimal agar plates using cetyl trimethylammonium bromide–methylene blue method and optimised in SDS-based minimal salt (SBS) medium. SDS proved to be an ideal carbon source for rhamnolipid synthesis with a high substrate to product conversion rate yielding 6.9 g/l of rhamnolipids from 1 g/l SDS in 5 days. Fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopy analysis of the purified biosurfactant proved the presence of mono- and di-rhamnolipids, viz., Rha-C₁₀-C₁₀, Rha-C₁₀-C₁₂ and Rha-Rha-C₁₀-C₁₀ with surface active properties. The secreted rhamnolipids were not utilised by S15 as a carbon source, but it caused a dispersion of bacterial biofilms in SBS medium. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on bioconversion of synthetic detergent to biodetergent. This SDS-based novel methodology presents a more economised mode of rhamnolipid synthesis utilising SDS as sole carbon source.     

Effect of electrolytes on the surface behavior of rhamnolipids R1 and R2

The surface behavior of solutions of the rhamnolipids, R1 and R2, were investigated in the absence and presence of an electrolyte (NaCl) through surface tension measurements and optical microscopy at pH 6.8. The NaCl concentrations studied are 0.05, 0.5 and 1 M. Electrolytes directly affect the carboxylate groups of the rhamnolipids. The solution/air interface has a net negative charge due to the dissociated carboxylate ions at pH 6.8 with strong repulsive electrostatic forces between the rhamnolipid molecules. This negative charge is shielded by the Na⁺ ions in the electrical double layer in the presence of NaCl, causing the formation of a close-packed monolayer, and a decrease in CMC, and surface tension values. The maximum compaction is observed at 0.5 M NaCl concentrations for R1 and R2 monolayers, with the R1 monolayer more compact than R2. The larger spaces left below the hydrophobic tails of R1 with respect to that of R2, due to the missing second rhamnosyl groups are thought to be responsible for the higher compaction. The rigidity of both R1 and R2 monolayers increases with the electrolyte concentration. The rigidity of the R1 monolayer is greater than that of R2 at all NaCl concentrations due to the lower hydrophilic character of R1. The variation of CMC values as a function of NaCl concentration obtained from the surface tension measurements and critical packing parameter (CPP) calculations show that spherical micelles, bilayer and rod like micelles are formed in the rhamnolipid solutions as a function of the NaCl concentration. The results of optical microscopy supported these aggregation states indicating lamellar nematic liquid crystal, cubic lamellar and hexagonal liquid crystal phases in R1 and R2 solutions depending on the NaCl concentration.     

Development and trends of biosurfactant analysis and purification using rhamnolipids as an example

During the last few decades, increasing interest in biological surfactants led to an intensification of research for the cost-efficient production of biosurfactants compared with traditional petrochemical surface-active components. The quest for alternative production strains also is associated with new demands on biosurfactant analysis. The present paper gives an overview of existing analytical methods, based on the example of rhamnolipids. The methods reviewed range from simple colorimetric testing to sophisticated chromatographic separation coupled with detection systems like mass spectrometry, by means of which detailed structural information is obtained. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with mass spectrometry currently presents the most precise method for rhamnolipid identification and quantification. Suitable approaches to accelerate rhamnolipid quantification for better control of biosurfactant production are HPLC analysis directly from culture broth by adding an internal standard or Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy measurements of culture broth as a possible quasi-online quantification method in the future. The search for alternative rhamnolipid-producing strains makes a structure analysis and constant adaptation of the existing quantification methods necessary. Therefore, simple colorimetric tests based on whole rhamnolipid content can be useful for strain and medium screening. Furthermore, rhamnolipid purification from a fermentation broth will be considered depending on the following application.     

Effects of biosurfactants on surface properties of hematite

Application of microorganisms as surface modifiers has focused our attention in recent times. The adsorption of biosurfactants can be a way for the solid surface modification. In the present investigation rhamnolipids produced by Pseudomonas aerugiosa were used to make the hematite surface modification. Experiments were carried out with pure mineral hematite. In this paper, the influence of biosurfactant addition on both the stability and the flotability of hematite suspensions has been studied in detail. The stability experiments were conducted using Turbiscan LAb apparatus, at constant pH conditions and mineral amount. The flotation experiments were carried out using Hallimond tube. The adsorption isotherms of biosurfactant onto the hematite particles were also determined. The experiments were carried out with broth and pure rhamnolipid. The results of those experiments were compared and discussed.     

Emulsifying Properties of Rhamnolipids and Their In Vitro Antifungal Activity against Plant Pathogenic Fungi

Simple SummaryThe components of the rhamnolipid products of various sources are usually significantly different. This may hinder the application of rhamnolipid products. The rhamnolipid products with known structural components were used to test their emulsifying properties toward solvents in pesticide and their antifungal performance against plant pathogenic fungi. The results showed that the different components of rhamnolipids had no significant effect on the emulsifying performance, however, increased amounts of di-rhamnolipids in products exhibited stronger antifungal activity. We hope this work will be helpful to promote the application of rhamnolipids as pesticide adjuvants.AbstractRhamnolipids have significant emulsifying activity and the potential to become a component of pesticide emulsifier. Rhamnolipids are usually composed of two main components: mono-rhamnolipids (Rha-C₁₀-C₁₀) and di-rhamnolipids (Rha₂-C₁₀-C₁₀). The proportion of di-rhamnolipids in the products ranged between 15% and 90%, affected by the production strains and fermentation process. In this paper, three kinds of rhamnolipid products containing di-rhamnolipids proportions, of 25.45, 46.46 and 89.52%, were used to test their emulsifying ability toward three conventional solvents used in pesticide (S-200, xylene, cyclohexanone) and antifungal activities against five strains of plant pathogenic fungi (Phytophthora capsici, Phytophthora parasitica var.nicotianae, Colletotrichum destructivum, Colletotrichum sublineolum, Fusarium oxysporum). The results indicated that although the CMC of the three rhamnolipids were significantly different, their emulsification properties had no remarkable differences, at a concentration of 10 g/L. However, their antifungal activities were significantly different: the more di-rhamnolipids, the stronger the antifungal activity. This work helps to promote the application of rhamnolipids as pesticides adjuvants.     

Discrimination of isomers by liquid ionization mass spectrometry with techniques of collisional activation and adduct ion formation

Liquid ionization mass spectrometry is a soft ionization technique used with liquid samples under atmospheric pressure. It facilitates the handling of reagents and the observation of ion–molecule reactions in the ion source. The differentiation of isomers by characteristic fragment ions, for example those resulting from asymmetrical cleavage of a cyclobutane ring, and by molecular adduct ion formation was studied. The samples studied were cyclobutane derivatives, alkyl 4-(3-oxo-3-pIienyl-l-aIkenyl)benzoate dimers, and reagents having two functional groups were used to produce adduct ions to clarify the difference between isomers. The reagents act on a sample molecule at two functional groups to form hydrogen bonds. Some correlations were observed between the structure of the sample and the relative abundances of molecular adduct ions and also fragment ions produced by collisionally activated dissociation.     

Dissociative scattering of hyperthermal energy CF3+ ions from modified surfaces

Dissociative scattering of CF3+ ions in collision with a self-assembled monolayer surface of fluorinated alkyl thiol on a gold 111 crystal has been studied at low ion kinetic energies (from 29 to 159 eV) using a custom built tandem mass spectrometer with a rotatable second stage energy analyzer and mass spectrometer detectors. Energy and intensity distributions of the scattered fragment ions were measured as a function of the fragment ion mass and scattering angle. Inelastically scattered CF3+ ions were not observed even at the lowest energy studied here. All fragment ions, CF2+, CF+, F+, and C+, were observed at all energies studied with the relative intensity of the highest energy pathway, C+, increasing and that of the lowest energy pathway, CF2+, decreasing with collision energy. Also, the dissociation efficiency of CF3+ decreased significantly as the collision energy was increased to 159 eV. Energy distributions of all fragment ions from the alkyl thiol surface showed two distinct components, one corresponding to the loss of nearly all of the kinetic energy and scattered over a broad angular range while the other corresponding to smaller kinetic energy losses and scattered closer to the surface parallel. The latter process is due to delayed dissociation of collisionally excited ions after they have passed the collision region as excited parent ions. A similar study performed at 74 eV using a LiF coated surface on a titanium substrate resulted only in one process for all fragment ions; corresponding to the delayed dissociation process. The intensity maxima for these fragmentation processes were shifted farther away from the surface parallel compared to the thiol surface. A new mechanism is proposed for the delayed dissociation process as proceeding via projectile ions' neutralization to long-lived highly excited Rydberg state(s), reionization by the potential field between the collision region and entrance to the energy analyzer, and subsequent dissociation several microseconds after collisional excitation. A kinematic analysis of experimental data plotted as velocity Newton diagrams demonstrates that the delayed dissociation process results from the collisions of the ion with the bulk surface; i.e., the self-assembled monolayer surface acts as a bulk surface. A similar analysis for the highly inelastic collision processes shows that these are due to stronger collisions with a fraction of the thiol molecular chain, varying in length (mass) with the ion energy.     

Characteristic fragmentation behavior of phosphoamino acid conjugates with 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

The conjugates of phosphoamino acids with 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine were synthesized and their structures were determined by various spectral methods. In positive and negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), the fragmentation pathways were investigated in conjunction with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The results showed that there were very different characteristic fragment ions in the positive ion MS/MS spectra and the negative ion MS/MS spectra.     

鼠李糖脂应用于微乳毛细管电动色谱快速测定化妆品中激素类物质

采用生物表面活性剂鼠李糖脂建立了无需助表面活性剂的微乳体系,并应用于微乳毛细管电动色谱快速分析化妆品中皮质类激素泼尼松、泼尼松龙和氢化可的松。考察了pH值、鼠李糖脂浓度、离子强度、油相种类和浓度、分离温度、分离电压及进样电压和时间的影响,得出微乳体系最佳组成为0.1%(w/w)鼠李糖脂+0.8%(w/w)正庚烷+99.1%(w/w)硼砂缓冲液(80 mmol/L,pH 9.2)。分离温度20℃,分离电压20kV,电动进样10 kV×3 s,泼尼松、氢化可的松和泼尼松龙在9.4 min内可基线分离。重复进样7次,迁移时间和峰面积的RSD分别小于0.2%和5.0%。3种分析物线性范围均为5～100 mg/L;检出限分别为1.0,1.1和1.3 mg/L(S/N=3)。仅需简单萃取即可用于化妆品样品测定,回收率为81.6%～108%;RSD均小于4.8%。     

Mass spectral characterization of tetracyclines by electrospray ionization,H/D exchange,and multiple stage mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization (ESI) and collisionally induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra were obtained for five tetracyclines and the corresponding compounds in which the labile hydrogens were replaced by deuterium by either gas phase or liquid phase exchange. The number of labile hydrogens, x, could easily be determined from a comparison of ESI spectra obtained with N2 and with ND3 as the nebulizer gas. CID mass spectra were obtained for [M + H]+ and [M - H]- ions and the exchanged analogs, [M(Dx) + D]+ and [M(Dx) - D]- , and produced by ESI using a Sciex API-III(plus) and a Finnigan LCQ ion trap mass spectrometer. Compositions of product ions and mechanisms of decomposition were determined by comparison of the MS(N) spectra of the un-deuterated and deuterated species. Protonated tetracyclines dissociate initially by loss of H2O (D2O) and NH3 (ND3) if there is a tertiary OH at C-6. The loss of H2O (D2O) is the lower energy process. Tetracyclines without the tertiary OH at C-6 lose only NH3 (ND3) initially. MSN experiments showed easily understandable losses of HDO, HN(CH3)2, CH3 - N=CH2, and CO from fragment ions. The major fragment ions do not come from cleavage reactions of the species protonated at the most basic site. Deprotonated tetracyclines had similar CID spectra, with less fragmentation than those observed for the protonated tetracyclines. The lowest energy decomposition paths for the deprotonated tetracyclines are the competitive loss of NH3 (ND3) or HNCO (DNCO). Product ions appear to be formed by charge remote decompositions of species de-protonated at the C-10 phenol.     

Using a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer in accurate mass mode and an ion correlation program to identify compounds

Atomic masses and isotopic abundances are independent and complementary properties for discriminating among ion compositions. The number of possible ion compositions is greatly reduced by accurately measuring exact masses of monoisotopic ions and the relative isotopic abundances (RIAs) of the ions greater in mass by +1 Da and +2 Da. When both properties are measured, a mass error limit of 6-10 mDa (< 31 ppm at 320 Da) and an RIA error limit of 10% are generally adequate for determining unique ion compositions for precursor and fragment ions produced from small molecules (less than 320 Da in this study). 'Inherent interferences', i.e., mass peaks seen in the product ion mass spectrum of the monoisotopic [M+H]+ ion of an analyte that are -2, -1, +1, or +2 Da different in mass from monoisotopic fragment ion masses, distort measured RIAs. This problem is overcome using an ion correlation program to compare the numbers of atoms of each element in a precursor ion to the sum of those in each fragment ion and its corresponding neutral loss. Synergy occurs when accurate measurement of only one pair of +1 Da and +2 Da RIAs for the precursor ion or a fragment ion rejects all but one possible ion composition for that ion, thereby indirectly rejecting all but one fragment ion-neutral loss combination for other exact masses. A triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer with accurate mass capability, using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), was used to measure masses and RIAs of precursor and fragment ions. Nine chemicals were investigated as simulated unknowns. Mass accuracy and RIA accuracy were sufficient to determine unique compositions for all precursor ions and all but two of 40 fragment ions, and the two corresponding neutral losses. Interrogation of the chemical literature provided between one and three possible compounds for each of the nine analytes. This approach for identifying compounds compensates for the lack of commercial ESI and APCI mass spectral libraries, which precludes making tentative identifications based on spectral matches.     

Zur Lokalisierung Funktioneller Gruppen mit Hilfe der Massenspektrometrie. XV—Massenspektren von androstanen mit Hydroxygruppen in den Positionen 3, 16 und 17

Compared with other isomeric androstane triols the mass spectra of those androstane triols with hydroxy groups in positions 3, 16 and 17 are characterized by intense molecular ions. Important fragment ions show the loss of C-15, C-16 and C-17 in the form of a fragment comprising 75 mass units. This ion shows facile loss of the hydroxy group in position 3 in the form of a water molecule producing a [M ? 93]⁺ ion. Further key ions are at m/e 60, 84 and 110. With the aid of three deuterated androstane trioles and high resolution it was shown that these ions contain parts of the D-ring system.     

反相固相萃取/超高效液相色谱-串联四极杆质谱仪同时测定污水中9种卤乙酸的方法研究

使用反相固相萃取预处理与超高效液相色谱-串联四极杆质谱仪(RSPE UPLC-MS/MS)联用建立了同时测定污水中9种卤乙酸(HAAs)的分析方法。研究表明:ENVI-C18固相萃取小柱能有效去除污水样品中有机基质的干扰,样品pH值调至2.5能有效消除无机离子对HAAs离子化的影响;采用HSST3(2.1 mm×100 mm)色谱柱,以甲醇和0.000 5%甲酸为流动相,可在15.0 min内将9种HAAs分离且效果良好。采用优化后的程序建立标准曲线,9种HAAs的线性范围为0.5~100μg/L,相关系数(r2)为0.999 7~0.999 9,检出限和定量下限分别为0.02~0.26μg/L和0.05~0.86μg/L,日内和日间相对标准偏差分别为1.4%~10.0%和1.7%~10.0%。3个污水处理厂出水在2.5μg/L和10μg/L的加标浓度水平下,回收率为85.2%~107.8%。该方法能够满足污水处理厂出水中9种HAAs的检测要求。     

苧蔴中游离单糖的液相色谱/质谱联用分析

本文应用液相色谱/质谱联用(LC/MS)技术分析了一些已知糖混合物.随后进一步研究了芋蔴中游离单糖的结构,实验结果和经典的衍生化,气相色谱分析结果相一致。     

Collision Energetics in a Tandem Time-of-Flight (TOF/TOF) Mass Spectrometer with a Curved-Field Reflectron

Collisions of fullerene ions (C(60) (+)) with helium and neon were carried out over a range of laboratory energies (3-20 keV) on a unique tandem time-of-flight (TOF/TOF) mass spectrometer equipped with a curved-field reflectron (CFR). The CFR enables focusing of product ions over a wide kinetic energy range. Thus, ions extracted from a laser desorption/ionization (LDI) source are not decelerated prior to collision, and collision energies in the laboratory frame are determined by the source extraction voltages. Comparison of product ion mass spectra obtained following collisions with inert gases show a time (and apparent mass) shift for product ions relative to those observed in spectra obtained by metastable dissociation (unimolecular decay), consistent with impulse collision models, in which interactions of helium with fullerene in the high energy range are primarily with a single carbon atom. In addition, within a narrow range of kinetic energies an additional peak corresponding to the capture of helium is observed for fragment ions C(50) (+), C(52) (+), C(54) (+), C(56) (+) and C(58) (+).     

Evaluation of different carbon and nitrogen sources in production of rhamnolipids by a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Culture conditions involving variations in carbon and nitrogen sources and different C:N ratios were examined with the aim of increasing productivity in the process of rhamnolipid synthesis by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In addition to the differences in productivity, the use of different carbon sources resulted in several proportions related to the types of rhamnolipids synthesized (monorhamnolipids and dirhamnolipids). Furthermore, the variation in nutrients, mainly the nitrogen source, resulted in different amounts of virulence factors, as phenazines and extracellular proteins. The data point out a new concern in the choice of substrate to be used for rhamnolipid production by P. aeruginosa: toxic byproducts.