Inhibition of Bacterial Adhesion and Biofilm Formation by Seed-Derived Ethanol Extracts from Persea americana Mill

The increase in antibiotic resistance demands innovative strategies to combat microorganisms. The current study evaluated the antibacterial and antivirulence effects of ethanol extracts from Persea americana seeds obtained by the Soxhlet (SE) and maceration (MaE) methods. The UHPLC-DAD-QTOF analysis showed mainly the presence of polyphenols and neolignan. Ethanol extracts were not cytotoxic to mammalian cells (CC₅₀ > 500 µg/mL) and displayed a moderate antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (IC₅₀ = 87 and 187 µg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus (IC₅₀ = 144 and 159 µg/mL). Interestingly, no antibacterial activity was found against Escherichia coli. SE and MaE extracts were also able to significantly reduce the bacterial adhesion to A549 lung epithelial cells. Additionally, both extracts inhibited the biofilm growth at 24 h and facilitated the release of internal cell components in P. aeruginosa, which might be associated with cell membrane destabilization. Real-time PCR and agarose electrophoresis gel analysis indicated that avocado seed ethanol extracts (64 µg/mL) downregulated virulence-related factors such as mexT and lasA genes. Our results support the potential of bioproducts from P. americana seeds as anti-adhesive and anti-biofilm agents.     

天然水生物膜胞外多糖和胞外蛋白吸附镉的特性

研究了长春市南湖天然水环境中生物膜优势菌种胞外多糖和胞外蛋白对镉的吸附特征及其影响因素.结果表明,胞外多糖和胞外蛋白对镉的吸附过程符合Langmuir和Freundlich热力学等温方程,胞外多糖和胞外蛋白对镉的动力学吸附特征符合Langmuir-Hinshelwood方程的一级反应模式.而铅的存在会影响对镉的吸附.     

富营养化湖泊中沉积物原位治理技术进展

回顾了各种化学、物理和生物的原位治理技术,简要介绍了一种新的生物膜合成载体.在户外实验中,富营养的沉积物促进了毒藻的生长,而新合成的生物膜载体的布设可以阻碍藻类的生长.当应用这种新的合成载体来改善富营养化湖泊水质时,沉积物中P的形态也向有利于水质改善的方向变化.     

基于高通量测序技术的阳极生物膜群落结构

利用高通量测序技术对阳极生物膜的微生物群落结构进行了分析.实验结果表明,高通量测序能够高效地获取电化学生物膜的群落结构信息,产电模式菌Geobacter属在生物膜中占据着优势地位,其数量比例达到30%左右,其次的主要菌属为Thermovirga,Thauera和Syntrophorhabdus.对比电化学活性丧失前后的生物膜发现,虽然Geobacter菌属在丧失了电化学活性的生物膜中仍然占据统治地位,但是放线菌门的细菌增长显著,其数量比例远高于正常阳极生物膜的0.5%,有可能是抑制生物膜电化学活性的因素之一.     

Lemon Oils Attenuate the Pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Quorum Sensing Inhibition

The chemical composition of three Citrus limon oils: lemon essential oil (LEO), lemon terpenes (LT) and lemon essence (LE), and their influence in the virulence factors production and motility (swarming and swimming) of two Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains (ATCC 27853 and a multidrug-resistant HT5) were investigated. The main compound, limonene, was also tested in biological assays. Eighty-four compounds, accounting for a relative peak area of 99.23%, 98.58% and 99.64%, were identified by GC/MS. Limonene (59–60%), γ-terpinene (10–11%) and β-pinene (7–15%) were the main compounds. All lemon oils inhibited specific biofilm production and bacterial metabolic activities into biofilm in a dose-dependent manner (20–65%, in the range of 0.1–4 mg mL⁻¹) of both strains. Besides, all samples inhibited about 50% of the elastase activity at 0.1 mg mL⁻¹. Pyocyanin biosynthesis decreases until 64% (0.1–4 mg mL⁻¹) for both strains. Swarming motility of P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 was completely inhibited by 2 mg mL⁻¹ of lemon oils. Furthermore, a decrease (29–55%, 0.1–4 mg mL⁻¹) in the synthesis of Quorum sensing (QS) signals was observed. The oils showed higher biological activities than limonene. Hence, their ability to control the biofilm of P. aeruginosa and reduce the production of virulence factors regulated by QS makes lemon oils good candidates to be applied as preservatives in the food processing industry.     

生物膜和生物膜形成菌的研究

细菌生物膜是一个复杂的微生物群落,生物膜巾除了水和细菌以外,还含有细菌分泌的胞外聚合物、吸附的营养物质、代谢产物及DNA等细菌裂解产物.介绍细菌生物膜的形成过程,并综述了近年来医学领域以几种成膜力强的条件致病菌为研究对象,从基因水平上证实了细菌细胞表面结构鞭毛、纤毛、胞外聚合物和群体感应信号分子等细胞因子对生物膜形成的影响.     

Covalently Immobilized Battacin Lipopeptide Gels with Activity against Bacterial Biofilms

Novel antibiotic treatments are in increasing demand to tackle life-threatening infections from bacterial pathogens. In this study, we report the use of a potent battacin lipopeptide as an antimicrobial gel to inhibit planktonic and mature biofilms of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. The antimicrobial gels were made by covalently linking the N-terminal cysteine containing lipopeptide (GZ3.163) onto the polyethylene glycol polymer matrix and initiating gelation using thiol-ene click chemistry. The gels were prepared both in methanol and in water and were characterised using rheology, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Antibacterial and antibiofilm analyses revealed that the gels prepared in methanol have better antibacterial and antibiofilm activity. Additionally, a minimum peptide content of 0.5 wt% (relative to polymer content) is required to successfully inhibit the planktonic bacterial growth and disperse mature biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. The antibacterial activity of these lipopeptide gels is mediated by a contact kill mechanism of action. The gels are non-haemolytic against mouse red blood cells and are non-cytotoxic against human dermal fibroblasts. Findings from this study show that battacin lipopeptide gels have the potential to be developed as novel topical antibacterial agents to combat skin infections, particularly caused by S. aureus.     

溶菌酶脂质体的制备及其对生物膜的剥离作用

采用逆向蒸发法制备了稳定的溶菌酶脂质体.在不锈钢表面培养出稳定生物膜后,分别利用溶菌酶和溶菌酶脂质体对其进行剥离.运用Zeta电位仪、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和红外光谱(FT-IR)对脂质体和生物膜进行表征.结果表明制备的脂质体平均粒径为80~100 nm,包封率为82.4%.相同浓度下溶菌酶及其脂质体对混合菌种形成的生物膜剥离效率分别达到62.4%和86.5%.溶菌酶脂质体在24h内对生物膜和水体中微生物去除率分别达到89.6%和99.6%.因此,溶菌酶脂质体能够有效控制不锈钢表面生物膜污染风险.     

胞外DNA在生物膜构建中的作用研究进展

生物膜是指细菌为适应外界环境的变化而形成的特殊微生物聚合体,生物膜法是水的生化处理技术的重要分支,在环境工程领域具有重要的位置。本文综述了胞外DNA (extracellular DNA, eDNA)在生物膜形成过程中的作用,首先介绍胞外聚合物(extracellular polymeric substance, EPS)分类以及eDNA在EPS中的分布情况;其次阐述群体感应(quorum sensing, QS)系统调节eDNA在细菌中的释放;为说明eDNA在生物膜形成过程中的机理,本文采用了XDLVO理论揭示eDNA调节细菌的粘附和聚集性能,并探讨了eDNA与蛋白质(proteins, PN)及多聚糖(polysaccharides, PS)的结合行为;最后,对该领域未来的研究方向进行了展望。     

Dissipation of the herbicide active ingredient glyphosate in natural water samples in the presence of biofilms

Dissipation of the herbicide active ingredient glyphosate was investigated in natural waters. To assess combined effects, glyphosate was applied in its pure form (glyphosate isopropylammonium salt) and in preparation Roundup Classic® formulated with polyethoxylated tallowamines (POEA). Standing and running surface water samples originated from Lake Balaton and River Danube between early May and mid-June of 2015. The kinetics of dissipation of glyphosate, measured by high-performance liquid chromatography combined with UV-VIS absorbance detection or tandem mass spectrometry, was investigated under laboratory conditions in aquaria with or without the presence of biofilms. The quantity and the biofilm structure of algal biomass were determined by in vivo fluorimetry and scanning electron microscopy. The presence of POEA affected the dissipation of glyphosate, and dissipation profiles differed in the investigated natural waters. Significantly higher initial concentrations of glyphosate were measured in River Danube for treatment with formulated glyphosate (101.4 ± 6.2 µg L^?1), than with glyphosate alone (79.9 ± 6.6 µg L^?1), and dissipation to a residual level (57.6 ± 1.4 µg L^?1) consequently took longer (approximately by 1 day). Degradation of glyphosate from the initial level (91.24 ± 5.9 µg L^?1) in Lake Balaton was not detected. Phytotoxic effects of glyphosate, particularly if enhanced by a formulant on algal biomass, were observed. Thus, 5–18% and 11–33% of algal biomass reduction was determined in River Danube upon treatments with glyphosate and Roundup Classic®, respectively. Corresponding biomass decreases in Lake Balaton were 1.3–13% and 9–14%, respectively, accompanied by an overall decay in the algal biofilms. In River Danube, treatments resulted in the occurrence of 1.4–5.8% of green algae in the algal biomass in 28 days, while green algae were not detected in the untreated control. The results indicate that glyphosate is capable of modifying the structure of the algal community and to induce increased secretion of extracellular polymeric substances matrix in the biofilms assessed.