"3-in-1" Hybrid Biocatalysts: Association of Yeast Cells Immobilized in a Sol-Gel Matrix for Determining Sewage Pollution

This study presents a novel ″3-in-1″ hybrid biocatalyst design that combines the individual efficiency of microorganisms while avoiding negative interactions between them. Yeast cells of Ogataea polymorpha VKM Y-2559, Blastobotrys adeninivorans VKM Y-2677, and Debaryomyces hansenii VKM Y-2482 were immobilized in an organosilicon material by using the sol-gel method, resulting in a hybrid biocatalyst. The catalytic activity of the immobilized microorganism mixture was evaluated by employing it as the bioreceptor element of a biosensor. Optical and scanning electron microscopies were used to examine the morphology of the biohybrid material. Elemental distribution analysis confirmed the encapsulation of yeast cells in a matrix composed of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) (85 and 15 vol %, respectively). The resulting heterogeneous biocatalyst exhibited excellent performance in determining the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) index in real surface water samples, with a sensitivity coefficient of 50 ± 3 × 10-3·min-1, a concentration range of 0.3-31 mg/L, long-term stability for 25 days, and a relative standard deviation of 3.8%. These findings demonstrate the potential of the developed hybrid biocatalyst for effective pollution monitoring and wastewater treatment applications.

Multicationic Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: A Framework for Combating Bacterial Resistance

During previous stages of research, high biocidal activity toward microorganism archival strains has been used as the main indicator in the development of new antiseptic formulations. Although this factor remains one of the most important characteristics of biocide efficiency, the scale of antimicrobial resistance spread causes serious concern. Therefore, focus shifts toward the development of formulations with a stable effect even in the case of prolonged contact with pathogens. Here, we introduce an original isocyanuric acid alkylation method with the use of available alkyl dichlorides, which opened access to a wide panel of multi-QACs with alkyl chains of various lengths between the nitrogen atoms of triazine and pyridine cycles. We used a complex approach for the resulting series of 17 compounds, including their antibiofilm properties, bacterial tolerance development, and antimicrobial activity toward multiresistant pathogenic strains. As a result of these efforts, available compounds have shown higher levels of antibacterial activity against ESKAPE pathogens than widely used commercial QACs. Hit compounds possessed high activity toward clinical bacterial strains and have also demonstrated a long-term biocidal effect without significant development of microorganism tolerance. The overall results indicated a high level of antibacterial activity and the broad application prospects of multi-QACs based on isocyanuric acid against multiresistant bacterial strains.

From Antibacterial to Antibiofilm Targeting: An Emerging Paradigm Shift in the Development of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs)

In a previous development stage, mostly individual antibacterial activity was a target in the optimization of biologically active compounds and antiseptic agents. Although this targeting is still valuable, a new trend has appeared since the discovery of superhigh resistance of bacterial cells upon their aggregation into groups. Indeed, it is now well established that the great majority of pathogenic germs are found in the environment as surface-associated microbial communities called biofilms. The protective properties of biofilms and microbial resistance, even to high concentrations of biocides, cause many chronic infections in medical settings and lead to serious economic losses in various areas. A paradigm shift from individual bacterial targeting to also affecting more complex cellular frameworks is taking place and involves multiple strategies for combating biofilms with compounds that are effective at different stages of microbiome formation. Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) play a key role in many of these treatments and prophylactic techniques on the basis of both the use of individual antibacterial agents and combination technologies. In this review, we summarize the literature data on the effectiveness of using commercially available and newly synthesized QACs, as well as synergistic treatment techniques based on them. As an important focus, techniques for developing and applying antimicrobial coatings that prevent the formation of biofilms on various surfaces over time are discussed. The information analyzed in this review will be useful to researchers and engineers working in many fields, including the development of a new generation of applied materials; understanding biofilm surface growth; and conducting research in medical, pharmaceutical, and materials sciences. Although regular studies of antibacterial activity are still widely conducted, a promising new trend is also to evaluate antibiofilm activity in a comprehensive study in order to meet the current requirements for the development of highly needed practical applications.

The Use of Diethoxydimethylsilane as the Basis of a Hybrid Organosilicon Material for the Production of Biosensitive Membranes for Sensory Devices

Biomembranes based on an organosilica sol-gel matrix were used to immobilize bacteria Paracoccus yeei VKM B-3302 as part of a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) biosensor. Diethoxydimethylsilane (DEDMS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) were used as precursors to create the matrix in a 1:1 volume ratio. The use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the low-temperature nitrogen adsorption method (BET) showed that the sol-gel matrix forms a capsule around microorganisms that does not prevent the exchange of substrates and waste products of bacteria to the cells. The use of DEDMS as part of the matrix made it possible to increase the sensitivity coefficient of the biosensor for determining BOD by two orders of magnitude compared to a biosensor based on methyltriethoxysilane (MTES). Additionally, the long-term stability of the bioreceptor increased to 68 days. The use of such a matrix neutralized the effect of heavy metal ions on the microorganisms' catalytic activity in the biosensor. The developed biosensor was used to analyze water samples from water sources in the Tula region (Russia).

Optical Oxygen Sensing and Clark Electrode: Face-to-Face in a Biosensor Case Study

In the last decade, there has been continuous competition between two methods for detecting the concentration of dissolved oxygen: amerometric (Clark electrode) and optical (quenching of the phosphorescence of the porphyrin metal complex). Each of them has obvious advantages and disadvantages. This competition is especially acute in the development of biosensors, however, an unbiased comparison is extremely difficult to achieve, since only a single detection method is used in each particular study. In this work, a microfluidic system with synchronous detection of the oxygen concentration by two methods was created for the purpose of direct comparison. The receptor element is represented by Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells adsorbed on a composite material, previously developed by our scientific group. To our knowledge, this is the first work of this kind in which the comparison of the oxygen detection methods is carried out directly.

Microbial Biosensors for Rapid Determination of Biochemical Oxygen Demand: Approaches, Tendencies and Development Prospects

One of the main indices of the quality of water is the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). A little over 40 years have passed since the practical application of the first microbial sensor for the determination of BOD, presented by the Japanese professor Isao Karube. This time span has brought new knowledge to and practical developments in the use of a wide range of microbial cells based on BOD biosensors. At present, this field of biotechnology is becoming an independent discipline. The traditional BOD analysis (BOD₅) has not changed over many years; it takes no less than 5 days to carry out. Microbial biosensors can be used as an alternative technique for assessing the BOD attract attention because they can reduce hundredfold the time required to measure it. The review examines the experience of the creation and practical application of BOD biosensors accumulated by the international community. Special attention is paid to the use of multiple cell immobilization methods, signal registration techniques, mediators and cell consortia contained in the bioreceptor. We consider the use of nanomaterials in the modification of analytical devices developed for BOD evaluation and discuss the prospects of developing new practically important biosensor models.

Development of Nanocomposite Materials Based on Conductive Polymers for Using in Glucose Biosensor

Electropolymerized neutral red, thionine, and aniline were used as part of hybrid nanocomposite conductive polymers, to create an amperometric reagent-less biosensor for glucose determination. The structure of the obtained polymers was studied using infrared (IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Electrochemical characteristics were studied by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. It was shown that, from the point of view of both the rate of electron transfer to the electrode, and the rate of interaction with the active center of glucose oxidase (GOx), the most promising is a new nanocomposite based on poly(neutral red) (pNR) and thermally expanded graphite (TEG). The sensor based on the created nanocomposite material is characterized by a sensitivity of 1000 ± 200 nA × dm³/mmol; the lower limit of the determined glucose concentrations is 0.006 mmol/L. The glucose biosensor based on this nanocomposite was characterized by a high correlation (R² = 0.9828) with the results of determining the glucose content in human blood using the standard method. Statistical analysis did not reveal any deviations of the results obtained using this biosensor and the reference method. Therefore, the developed biosensor can be used as an alternative to the standard analysis method and as a prototype for creating sensitive and accurate glucometers, as well as biosensors to assess other metabolites.

Preparation of Hybrid Sol-Gel Materials Based on Living Cells of Microorganisms and Their Application in Nanotechnology

Microorganism-cell-based biohybrid materials have attracted considerable attention over the last several decades. They are applied in a broad spectrum of areas, such as nanotechnologies, environmental biotechnology, biomedicine, synthetic chemistry, and bioelectronics. Sol-gel technology allows us to obtain a wide range of high-purity materials from nanopowders to thin-film coatings with high efficiency and low cost, which makes it one of the preferred techniques for creating organic-inorganic matrices for biocomponent immobilization. This review focuses on the synthesis and application of hybrid sol-gel materials obtained by encapsulation of microorganism cells in an inorganic matrix based on silicon, aluminum, and transition metals. The type of immobilized cells, precursors used, types of nanomaterials obtained, and their practical applications were analyzed in detail. In addition, techniques for increasing the microorganism effective time of functioning and the possibility of using sol-gel hybrid materials in catalysis are discussed.

Glucose biosensor based on screen-printed electrode modified with silicone sol-gel conducting matrix containing carbon nanotubes

This research shows that high-performance biosensors can be produced by modification of screen-printed electrodes with enzymes and conducting hydrogel based on sol-gel matrix and single-walled carbon nanotubes. Tetraethoxysilane, dimethyldiethoxysilane and polyvinyl alcohol were used as the sol-gel matrix basis. Modified SWCNT provide direct electron transfer during glucose oxidation, as confirmed by cyclic voltammetry. The developed conducting sol-gel screen-printed electrodes can determine glucose within the concentration range 0.045-1.04 mM. The developed biosensor is not only in pace with its world analogues but even exceeds them by some analytical and metrological properties. The developed conducting sol-gel biosensor was used to measure the concentration of glucose in blood. The test results differed only insignificantly from those received with the help of standard glucose meter.

Silica sol-gel encapsulated methylotrophic yeast as filling of biofilters for the removal of methanol from industrial wastewater

This research suggests the use of new hybrid biomaterials based on methylotrophic yeast cells covered by an alkyl-modified silica shell as biocatalysts. The hybrid biomaterials are produced by sol-gel chemistry from silane precursors. The shell protects microbial cells from harmful effects of acidic environment. Potential use of the hybrid biomaterials based on methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha VKM Y-2559 encapsulated into alkyl-modified silica matrix for biofilters is represented for the first time. Organo-silica shells covering yeast cells effectively protect them from exposure to harmful factors, including extreme values of pH. The biofilter based on the organic silica matrix encapsulated in the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea polymorpha BKM Y-2559 has an oxidizing power of 3 times more than the capacity of the aeration tanks used at the chemical plants during methyl alcohol production. This may lead to the development of new and effective industrial wastewater treatment technologies.

Yeast-based self-organized hybrid bio-silica sol-gels for the design of biosensors

The methylotrophic Pichia angusta VKM Y-2559 and the oleaginous Cryptococcus curvatus VKM Y-3288 yeast cells were immobilized in a bimodal silica-organic sol-gel matrix comprised of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), the hydrophobic additive methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and the porogen polyethylene glycol (PEG). Under carefully optimized experimental conditions, employing basic catalysts, yeast cells have become the nucleation centers for a silica-organic capsule assembled around the cells. The dynamic process involved in the formation of the sol-gel matrix has been investigated using optical and scanning electron microscopic techniques. The results demonstrated the influence of the MTES composition on the nature of the encapsulation of the yeast cells, together with the architecture of the three-dimensional (3D) sol-gel biomatrix that forms during the encapsulation process. A silica capsule was found to form around each yeast cell when using 85 vol% MTES. This capsule was found to protect the microorganisms from the harmful effects that result from exposure to heavy metal ions and UV radiation. The encapsulated P. angusta BKM Y-2559 cells were then employed as a biosensing element for the detection of methanol. The P. angusta-based biosensor is characterized by high reproducibility (Sr, 1%) and operational stability, where the biosensor remains viable for up to 28 days.