Salmonella enterica biofilm-mediated dispersal by nitric oxide donors in association with cellulose nanocrystal hydrogels

Protected by extracellular polymers, microbes within biofilms are significantly more resistant to disinfectants. Current research has been instrumental in identifying nitric oxide donors and hydrogels as potential disinfectant additives. Nitric oxide (NO) donors are considered a very promising molecule as biofilm dispersal agents and hydrogels have recently attracted a lot of interest due to their biocompatible properties and ability to form stable thin films. When the NO donor MAHMA NONOate was dissolved in phosphate saline buffer, it was able to reduce the biomass of well-established biofilms up to 15% for at least 24 h of contact time. Encapsulation of MAHMA NONOate and molsidomine within a hydrogel composed of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) has shown a synergistic effect in dispersing well-established biofilms: after 2 h of exposure, moderate but significant dispersion was measured. After 6 h of exposure, the number of cells transitioning from the biofilm to the planktonic state was up to 0.6 log higher when compared with non-treated biofilms. To further explore the transport processes of NO donors within hydrogels, we measured the nitric oxide flux from gels, at 25°C for a composite of 0.1 µM MAHMA NONOate–CNC. Nitric oxide diffuses up to 500 µm from the hydrogel surface, with flux decreasing according to Fick’s law. 60% of NO was released from the hydrogel composite during the first 23 min. These data suggest that the combined treatments with nitric oxide donor and hydrogels may allow for new sustainable cleaning strategies

Understanding the Role of Hyponitrite in Nitric Oxide Reduction

Herein, we review the preparation and coordination chemistry of cis and trans isomers of hyponitrite, [N2O2](2-). Hyponitrite is known to bind to metals via a variety of bonding modes. In fact, at least eight different bonding modes have been observed, which is remarkable for such a simple ligand. More importantly, it is apparent that the cis isomer of hyponitrite is more reactive than the trans isomer because the barrier of N2O elimination from cis-hyponitrite is lower than that of trans-hyponitrite. This observation may have important mechanistic implications for both heterogeneous NOx reduction catalysts and NO reductase. However, our understanding of the hyponitrite ligand has been limited by the lack of a general route to this fragment, and most instances of its formation have been serendipitous