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Bioengineering
Special Issues
Microbial Biopolymers: From Synthesis to Properties and Applications
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Microbial Biopolymers: From Synthesis to Properties and Applications

A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 6325

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Filomena Freitas

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Guest Editor
Associate Laboratory i4HB – Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, and UCIBIO – Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Department of Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: biological valorization of agro-industrial byproducts; microbial bioprocesses; biopolymers: production and applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biopolymers of microbial origin, such as polysaccharides, polyamides, and polyhydroxyalkanoates, have been extensively studied, and many of them are already being exploited in many areas, from commodity products to high-value medical and pharmaceutical applications. They are represented by a large variety of materials characterized by valuable properties, ranging from hydrocolloids to thermoplastics and including bioactive macromolecules. Microbial biopolymers present many advantages over their synthetic counterparts which is mainly related to the biodegradability and biocompatibility already demonstrated for many of them, and their more sustainable production processes. The use of microorganisms for biopolymer production also presents advantages over the use of other natural sources, plants, macroalgae, or animals as they are more amenable to control through cultivation conditions, by passing complications due to climate, pollution, and seasonality, thus assuring the quality and quantity of the final products. More importantly, microbial biopolymers frequently display properties not found in other natural or synthetic polymers, which opens the opportunity for novel applications in such high-value areas as biomedicine, cosmetics, and nutrition.

This Special Issue on “Microbial Biopolymers: From Synthesis to Properties and Applications” will therefore present original research papers and comprehensive reviews that integrate the expertise from different areas related to microbial biopolymers, from production processes, biosynthetic pathways, and metabolic engineering to biopolymer recovery, characterization, and applications.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Life.

Dr. Filomena Freitas
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. Bioengineering 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 2700 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

  • biopolymer
  • polysaccharides
  • polyamides
  • polyhydroxyalkanoates

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2311 KiB  
Article
Pectin as a Biomaterial in Regenerative Endodontics—Assessing Biocompatibility and Antibacterial Efficacy against Common Endodontic Pathogens: An In Vitro Study
by Raghda Magdy Abdelgawad, Nailê Damé-Teixeira, Katarzyna Gurzawska-Comis, Arwa Alghamdi, Abeer H. Mahran, Rania Elbackly, Thuy Do and Reem El-Gendy
Bioengineering 2024, 11(7), 653; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11070653 - 26 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1982
Abstract
Regenerative endodontics (REP) is a new clinical modality aiming to regenerate damaged soft and hard dental tissues, allowing for root completion in young adults’ teeth. Effective disinfection is crucial for REP success, but commonly used antimicrobials often harm the niche dental pulp stem [...] Read more.
Regenerative endodontics (REP) is a new clinical modality aiming to regenerate damaged soft and hard dental tissues, allowing for root completion in young adults’ teeth. Effective disinfection is crucial for REP success, but commonly used antimicrobials often harm the niche dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore the biocompatibility and antimicrobial potential of pectin as a potential natural intracanal medicament for REPs. Low methoxyl commercial citrus pectin (LM) (pectin CU701, Herbstreith&Fox.de) was used in all experiments. The pectin’s antibacterial activity against single species biofilms (E. faecalis and F. nucleatum) was assessed using growth curves. The pectin’s antimicrobial effect against mature dual-species biofilm was also evaluated using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) after 30 min and 7 days of treatment. The DPSC biocompatibility with 2% and 4% w/v of the pectin coatings was evaluated using live/dead staining, LDH, and WST-1 assays. Pectin showed a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect against single-species biofilms (E. faecalis and F. nucleatum) but failed to disrupt dual-species biofilm. Pectin at 2% w/v concentration proved to be biocompatible with the HDPSCs. However, 4% w/v pectin reduced both the viability and proliferation of the DPSCs. Low concentration (2% w/v) pectin was biocompatible with the DPSCs and showed an antimicrobial effect against single-species biofilms. This suggests the potential for using pectin as an injectable hydrogel for clinical applications in regenerative endodontics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biopolymers: From Synthesis to Properties and Applications)
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13 pages, 3004 KiB  
Article
Proteomic Examination for Gluconeogenesis Pathway-Shift during Polyhydroxyalkanoate Formation in Cupriavidus necator Grown on Glycerol
by Nuttapol Tanadchangsaeng and Sittiruk Roytrakul
Bioengineering 2020, 7(4), 154; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering7040154 - 1 Dec 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3381
Abstract
Because of availability and inexpensiveness, glycerol can be considered as a suitable raw material for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production with bacterial fermentation. Nevertheless, compared to the production of glucose as a raw precursor, PHA produced from glycerol by Cupriavidus necator was found to produce [...] Read more.
Because of availability and inexpensiveness, glycerol can be considered as a suitable raw material for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production with bacterial fermentation. Nevertheless, compared to the production of glucose as a raw precursor, PHA produced from glycerol by Cupriavidus necator was found to produce lower PHA with low bacterial growth rates. According to our study, C. necator was able to synthesize glucose-like intermediates from glycerol via gluconeogenesis. This resulted in a decrease of the cell dry weight and the yield of PHA polymers, especially in the active cell growth phase. It was indicated that glycerol used as a carbon source of the PHA synthesis pathway has glucogenesis-shift, which causes a decrease of the PHA content and productivity. In this research, we investigated the proteins that were closely expressed with the increase of the intracellular PHA and glucose content. For solving the above problem, the proteins inside the bacterial cells were analyzed and compared to the database proteins via mass spectrometry. The proteins were isolated by 1-D SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) technique and identified by the liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique. By using bioinformatics validation, a total number of 1361 proteins were examined and found in the culture bacterial cells. Selective protein expression was correlated with the amount of PHA at each cultivation time and generating glucose by studying the 1361 proteins was elucidated in proteomic information. The results of the cluster of proteins were found to contain 93 proteins using the multiple array viewer (MEV) program with the KMS data analysis model. Protein species with the same expression pattern for PHA and six proteins with similar expression patterns were found to be correlated with generating glucose content. The associations of the two protein groups were then determined through a Stitch program. The protein and chemical associations were analyzed both directly and indirectly through different databases. The proteins of interest were found with research data linked between glycerol and glucose. Five protein types are connecting to glucose and glycerol shift pathway, two of which are glycosyl hydrolase (H16_B1563) and short-chain dehydrogenase (H16_B0687), both of which are enzymes used to break the bonds of complex sugars, possibly related to the partial conversion of glycerol to glucose. The two proteins found in the strains used in the Cupriavidus necator H16 experiment give rise to the break down the bonds of α,α-1,1-glucoside of malto-oligosyltrehalose and short-chain sugar molecules such as mannitol (C6H14O6), respectively. In this research, finding the associated expression proteins which is involved in changing the pathway of gluconeogenesis shift to PHA synthesis will be useful information on genetically modifying microorganisms to produce PHA more efficiently, leading to reduction of the production costs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biopolymers: From Synthesis to Properties and Applications)
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