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Biomedicines
Special Issues
Biofilms at Interfaces
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Biofilms at Interfaces

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 8378

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Guruprakash Subbiahdoss

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Biologically inspired materials, Department of NanoBiotechnology, BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Interests: biofilms; biomaterials-associated infections; antifouling surfaces; tissue integration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bacteria are everywhere. They can attach and form biofilms at interfaces (solid–liquid, liquid–liquid, liquid–air) that can impact different industries, e.g., healthcare, food packaging, pharmaceuticals, and oil recovery. Biofilms are accumulations of microbial cells which are embedded in a matrix of extracellular polysaccharides. Biofilms are mostly deleterious, i.e., biofilm formation takes place in food processing equipment, heat exchanger plate surfaces, water pipelines, and medical devices. They can also be beneficial in applications such as bioremediation and wastewater treatment.

For example, in the healthcare sector, biofilm infections of medical devices or biomaterial implants constitute a major cause of failure. Antibiotics are relatively ineffective against biomaterial-associated infections as the biofilm mode of growth on the biomaterial surface (solid–liquid interface) protects microorganisms against both immune cells and penetration and subsequent killing by antibiotics.

Meanwhile, in bioremediation, biofilms are formed at the oil–water interfaces (liquid–liquid), for example, in the scenario of an oil spill in the sea. Bacteria forming biofilms at oil–water interfaces have diverse metabolisms which allow them to utilize hydrocarbons, e.g., oil, as carbon and energy sources.

Therefore, understanding how bacteria adhere to and form biofilms at interfaces is of great importance and could have a tremendous societal and economic impact.

This Special Issue aims to collect papers focused on biofilm formation at interfaces (solid–liquid, liquid–liquid, liquid–air), with special interest in the following:

  • Understanding of the physicochemical properties of bacterial biofilms at interfaces;
  • Development of novel strategies to prevent or eradicate detrimental biofilms;
  • Strategies that promote formation of beneficial biofilms.

Dr. Guruprakash Subbiahdoss
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biofilms
  • bacterial adhesion
  • biofilm infections
  • biofilm eradication
  • bio-interfaces
  • biomaterials
  • bioremediation
  • antifouling surfaces
  • antibiotics
  • beneficial biofilms
  • wastewater treatment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4795 KiB  
Article
Pharmacodynamic Model of the Dynamic Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms to Antibacterial Treatments
by Swarnima Roychowdhury and Charles M. Roth
Biomedicines 2023, 11(8), 2316; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11082316 - 21 Aug 2023
Viewed by 930
Abstract
Accurate pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) models of biofilm treatment could be used to guide formulation and administration strategies to better control bacterial lung infections. To this end, we developed a detailed pharmacodynamic model of P. aeruginosa treatment with the front-line antibiotics, tobramycin and colistin, and [...] Read more.
Accurate pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) models of biofilm treatment could be used to guide formulation and administration strategies to better control bacterial lung infections. To this end, we developed a detailed pharmacodynamic model of P. aeruginosa treatment with the front-line antibiotics, tobramycin and colistin, and validated it on a detailed dataset of killing dynamics. A compartmental model structure was developed in which the key features are the diffusion of the drug through a boundary layer to the bacteria, concentration-dependent interactions with bacteria, and the passage of the bacteria through successive transit states before death. The number of transit states employed was greater for tobramycin, which is a ribosomal inhibitor, than for colistin, which disrupts bacterial membranes. For both drugs, the experimentally observed delay in the killing of bacteria following drug exposure was consistent with the sum of the diffusion time and the time for passage through the transit states. For each drug, the PD model with a single set of parameters described data across a ten-fold range of concentrations and for both continuous and transient exposure protocols, as well as for combined drug treatments. The ability to predict drug response over a range of administration protocols allows this PD model to be integrated with PK descriptions to describe in vivo antibiotic response dynamics and to predict drug delivery strategies for the improved control of bacterial lung infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms at Interfaces)
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13 pages, 1614 KiB  
Article
The Vehicles of Calcium Hydroxide Pastes Interfere with Antimicrobial Effect, Biofilm Polysaccharidic Matrix, and Pastes’ Physicochemical Properties
by Victor Feliz Pedrinha, Maricel Rosario Cardenas Cuellar, Mirela Cesar de Barros, Pedro César Gomes Titato, Mohammad-Ali Shahbazi, Prashant Kumar Sharma and Flaviana Bombarda de Andrade
Biomedicines 2022, 10(12), 3123; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10123123 - 3 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2550
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to investigate the pH, volumetric alteration, antimicrobial action, and effect on biofilm matrix polysaccharides of calcium hydroxide (CH) pastes with different vehicles available in endodontics: CH + propylene glycol (CHP), UltraCal XS®, Metapaste® [...] Read more.
The objective of the present study was to investigate the pH, volumetric alteration, antimicrobial action, and effect on biofilm matrix polysaccharides of calcium hydroxide (CH) pastes with different vehicles available in endodontics: CH + propylene glycol (CHP), UltraCal XS®, Metapaste®, and Metapex®. The pH was analyzed at different time intervals using a pH meter. For volumetric alteration, a microtomographic assay was performed before and after immersion in water. Enterococcus faecalis was chosen for microbiological tests. The bacterial viability and extracellular matrix were quantified with direct contact evaluation (dentin blocks) and at the intratubular level (dentin cylinders) using LIVE/DEAD BacLight and Calcofluor White dyes via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn’s tests were used to analyze pH and direct contact assays, while one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests were used to analyze volumetric alteration and intratubular decontamination (α = 0.05). Higher pH values were obtained during the initial days. Volumetric alterations were similar in all groups. Lower bacterial viability was obtained for dentin blocks and cylinders when CH pastes were used. UltraCal XS and Metapex had lower values for the extracellular matrix. The pH of all CH pastes decreased with time and did not promote medium alkalization for up to 30 days. CH paste can reduce bacterial viability through direct contact and at an intratubular level; however, UltraCal XS and Metapex are involved with lower volumes of extracellular matrices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms at Interfaces)
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17 pages, 3611 KiB  
Article
The Efficacy of an N-Acetylcysteine–Antibiotic Combination Therapy on Achromobacter xylosoxidans in a Cystic Fibrosis Sputum/Lung Cell Model
by Aditi Aiyer, Theerthankar Das, Gregory S. Whiteley, Trevor Glasbey, Frederik H. Kriel, Jessica Farrell and Jim Manos
Biomedicines 2022, 10(11), 2886; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10112886 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1497
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disorder causing dysfunctional ion transport resulting in the accumulation of viscous mucus. This environment fosters a chronic bacterial biofilm-associated infection in the airways. Achromobacter xylosoxidans, a gram-negative aerobic bacillus, has been increasingly associated with antibiotic resistance and [...] Read more.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a disorder causing dysfunctional ion transport resulting in the accumulation of viscous mucus. This environment fosters a chronic bacterial biofilm-associated infection in the airways. Achromobacter xylosoxidans, a gram-negative aerobic bacillus, has been increasingly associated with antibiotic resistance and chronic colonisation in CF. In this study, we aimed to create a reproducible model of CF infection using an artificial sputum medium (ASMDM-1) with bronchial (BEAS-2B) and macrophage (THP-1) cells to test A. xylosoxidans infection and treatment toxicity. This study was conducted in three distinct stages. First, the tolerance of BEAS-2B cell lines and two A. xylosoxidans strains against ASMDM-1 was optimised. Secondly, the cytotoxicity of combined therapy (CT) comprising N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and the antibiotics colistin or ciprofloxacin was tested on cells alone in the sputum model in both BEAS-2B and THP-1 cells. Third, the efficacy of CT was assessed in the context of a bacterial infection within the live cell/sputum model. We found that a model using 20% ASMDM-1 in both cell populations tolerated a colistin–NAC-based CT and could significantly reduce bacterial loads in vitro (~2 log10 CFU/mL compared to untreated controls). This pilot study provides the foundation to study other bacterial opportunists that infect the CF lung to observe infection and CT kinetics. This model also acts as a springboard for more complex co-culture models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms at Interfaces)
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17 pages, 9104 KiB  
Article
Inhibition of Agrobacterium tumefaciens Growth and Biofilm Formation by Tannic Acid
by Afreen Jailani, Bilal Ahmed, Jin-Hyung Lee and Jintae Lee
Biomedicines 2022, 10(7), 1619; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10071619 - 6 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2502
Abstract
Agrobacterium tumefaciens underlies the pathogenesis of crown gall disease and is characterized by tumor-like gall formation on the stems and roots of a wide variety of economically important plant species. The bacterium initiates infection by colonizing and forming biofilms on plant surfaces, and [...] Read more.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens underlies the pathogenesis of crown gall disease and is characterized by tumor-like gall formation on the stems and roots of a wide variety of economically important plant species. The bacterium initiates infection by colonizing and forming biofilms on plant surfaces, and thus, novel compounds are required to prevent its growth and biofilm formation. In this study, we investigated the ability of tannic acid, which is ubiquitously present in woody plants, to specifically inhibit the growth and biofilm formation of A. tumefaciens. Tannic acid showed antibacterial activity and significantly reduced the biofilm formation on polystyrene and on the roots of Raphanus sativus as determined by 3D bright-field and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. Furthermore, tannic acid dose-dependently reduced the virulence features of A. tumefaciens, which are swimming motility, exopolysaccharide production, protease production, and cell surface hydrophobicity. Transcriptional analysis of cells (Abs600 nm = 1.0) incubated with tannic acid for 24 h at 30 °C showed tannic acid most significantly downregulated the exoR gene, which is required for adhesion to surfaces. Tannic acid at 100 or 200 µg/mL limited the iron supply to A. tumefaciens and similarly reduced the biofilm formation to that performed by 0.1 mM EDTA. Notably, tannic acid did not significantly affect R. sativus germination even at 400 µg/mL. The findings of this study suggest that tannic acid has the potential to prevent growth and biofilm formation by A. tumefaciens and thus infections resulting from A. tumefaciens colonization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofilms at Interfaces)
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