scholarly journals Synthetic and Biological Surfactants Used to Mitigate Biofouling on Industrial Facilities Surfaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 2560-2585
Keyword(s):  
Surface Tension ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Industrial Facilities ◽  
Market Trends ◽  
Biofouling Control ◽  
Ecological Methods ◽  
Different Sources ◽  
Synthetic Surfactants

The adhesion of organisms to surfaces is an event that occurs in natural and artificial systems and is commonly known as bio-encrustation. The elimination of biofouling through less aggressive and ecological methods has aroused the interest of researchers and industries worldwide. Among the products with the greatest potential for altering surfaces, surfactants act at cell-cell and cell-surface interfaces, reducing surface hydrophobicity, the adherence of microorganisms, and the formation of biofilms. Biological surfactants have stood out for their versatility and proven effectiveness in recent years as valuable tools, especially due to their biodegradable characteristics when compared to synthetic surfactants. Thus, they can transform and modernize biotechnology by providing more robust antifouling technologies. This review discusses the possible roles and applications of synthetic and biological surfactants from different sources, such as biofouling reducing agents, addressing the potential alteration of surfaces, reducing surface tension, biological activities (antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and anti-adherence), biodegradability, and anticorrosion activity. Market trends and the potential uses of these multifunctional biomolecules in biofouling control are also cited, along with examples from the literature using biosurfactants as antifouling agents.

Biosurfactant production and diauxic growth of Rhodococcus aurantiacus when using n-alkanes as the carbon source

1988 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 1209-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Ramsay ◽  
J. McCarthy ◽  
L. Guerra-Santos ◽  
O. Kappeli ◽  
A. Fiechter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Tension ◽  
Carbon Source ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Nitrogen Source ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Deionized Water ◽  
Diauxic Growth ◽  
Growth Data ◽  
Hydrocarbon Transport

When grown on hydrocarbons, Rhodococcus aurantiacus produced four glycolipid biosurfactants which could lower the surface tension of distilled, deionized water to between 26 and 30 nM∙m−1. The biosurfactants were found both extracellularly and associated with the cells. They could be extracted with solvents such as chloroform and pentane. Greater quantities of biosurfactant were produced when NaNO3 was used in place of (NH4)2SO4 as the nitrogen source. When grown on n-alkanes using (NH4)2SO4 as the nitrogen source, R. aurantiacus exhibited an unusual form of diauxic growth. Data suggested that the mechanism of diauxy involved changes in the degree of cell-surface hydrophobicity which resulted in hydrocarbon-transport limitation.

scholarly journals Diverse Effects of Natural and Synthetic Surfactants on the Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1172
Author(s):  
Gianna Allegrone ◽  
Chiara Ceresa ◽  
Maurizio Rinaldi ◽  
Letizia Fracchia
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Coating Agent ◽  
Low Toxicity ◽  
Biomedical Field ◽  
Synthetic Surfactants

A major challenge in the biomedical field is the creation of materials and coating strategies that effectively limit the onset of biofilm-associated infections on medical devices. Biosurfactants are well known and appreciated for their antimicrobial/anti-adhesive/anti-biofilm properties, low toxicity, and biocompatibility. In this study, the rhamnolipid produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 89 (R89BS) was characterized by HPLC-MS/MS and its ability to modify cell surface hydrophobicity and membrane permeability as well as its antimicrobial, anti-adhesive, and anti-biofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus were compared to two commonly used surfactants of synthetic origin: Tween® 80 and TritonTM X-100. The R89BS crude extract showed a grade of purity of 91.4% and was composed by 70.6% of mono-rhamnolipids and 20.8% of di-rhamnolipids. The biological activities of R89BS towards S. aureus were higher than those of the two synthetic surfactants. In particular, the anti-adhesive and anti-biofilm properties of R89BS and of its purified mono- and di-congeners were similar. R89BS inhibition of S. aureus adhesion and biofilm formation was ~97% and 85%, respectively, and resulted in an increased inhibition of about 33% after 6 h and of about 39% after 72 h when compared to their chemical counterparts. These results suggest a possible applicability of R89BS as a protective coating agent to limit implant colonization.

Autecology of scum producing bacteria

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 527-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilde Lemmer ◽  
George Lind ◽  
Margit Schade ◽  
Birgit Ziegelmayer
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Residence Times ◽  
Loading Conditions ◽  
Emulsifying Activity ◽  
Substrate Preferences

Non-filamentous hydrophobic scum bacteria were isolated from scumming wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) by means of adhesion to hydrocarbons. They were characterized with respect to taxonomy, substrate preferences, cell surface hydrophobicity, and emulsification capability. Their role during flotation events is discussed. Rhodococci are selected by hydrolysable substrates and contribute to flotation both by cell surface hydrophobicity and emulsifying activity at long mean cell residence times (MCRT). Saprophytic Acinetobacter strains are able to promote flotation by hydrophobicity and producing emulsifying agents under conditions when hydrophobic substrates are predominant. Hydrogenophaga and Acidovorax species as well as members of the Cytophaga/Flavobacterium group are prone to proliferate under low loading conditions and contribute to flotation mainly by emulsification.

scholarly journals Constitutive and Regulated Shedding of Soluble FGF Receptors Releases Biologically Active Inhibitors of FGF-2

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2712
Author(s):  
Anne Hanneken ◽  
Maluz Mercado ◽  
Pamela Maher
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Cellular Proliferation ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Matrix Metalloproteases ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Ectodomain Shedding ◽  
High Affinity

The identification of soluble fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptors in blood and the extracellular matrix has led to the prediction that these proteins modulate the diverse biological activities of the FGF family of ligands in vivo. A recent structural characterization of the soluble FGF receptors revealed that they are primarily generated by proteolytic cleavage of the FGFR-1 ectodomain. Efforts to examine their biological properties are now focused on understanding the functional consequences of FGFR-1 ectodomain shedding and how the shedding event is regulated. We have purified an FGFR-1 ectodomain that is constitutively cleaved from the full-length FGFR-1(IIIc) receptor and released into conditioned media. This shed receptor binds FGF-2; inhibits FGF-2-induced cellular proliferation; and competes with high affinity, cell surface FGF receptors for ligand binding. FGFR-1 ectodomain shedding downregulates the number of high affinity receptors from the cell surface. The shedding mechanism is regulated by ligand binding and by activators of PKC, and the two signaling pathways appear to be independent of each other. Deletions and substitutions at the proposed cleavage site of FGFR-1 do not prevent ectodomain shedding. Broad spectrum inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases decrease FGFR-1 ectodomain shedding, suggesting that the enzyme responsible for constitutive, ligand-activated, and protein kinase C-activated shedding is a matrix metalloprotease. In summary, shedding of the FGFR-1 ectodomain is a highly regulated event, sharing many features with a common system that governs the release of diverse membrane proteins from the cell surface. Most importantly, the FGFR ectodomains are biologically active after shedding and are capable of functioning as inhibitors of FGF-2.

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