Microbial Cellulose — Biosynthesis Mechanisms and Medical Applications

Currently some principles of sustainability, eco-efficiency and green chemistry are guiding the development of a new generation of materials as an alternative to conventional polymers based on petroleum. Then, in the field of biodegradable polymers one of the most promising investigations is focused on the use of microbial cellulose (MC), biocellulose or bacterial cellulose. MC has received substantial interest since it is synthesized from the bacterium Gluconacetobacter genus from a variety of carbon sources such as glucose, fructose, galactose, etc. MC is an interesting emerging biomaterial, with no toxicity, and since its discovery has shown tremendous potential in various fields, because the structural aspect of MC is far superior to those of plant cellulose. Thus, the main focus of the chapter review involves detailed aspects about the biosynthesis and recent advances on microbial production, including mechanism for the biochemistry of the cellulose synthesis, new sources for culture medium, main aspects about static and air-reactor productions and genetic modifications. We also revised microbial cellulose devices for biomedical applications: artificial skin, artificial blood vessels and microvessels, wound dressing of second- or third-degree burn ulcers, scaffolds for tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, dental implants, among others

Colorimetric enzymatic assay of L-malic acid using dehydrogenase from baker's yeast

A colorimetric method has been developed and optimized to measure L-malic acid in samples of fruit juices and wine. This method is based on oxidation of the analyte, catalyzed by malate dehydrogenase (MDH) from dry baker's yeast, and in combination with the reduction of a tetrazolium salt (MTT: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide). In the present study, the method exhibited sensitivity in the range of 500-4000 mu M of L-malic acid in the reaction cuvette, with the lower detection limit of 6.7-10(-2) g/L, the upper limit of 53.6.10(-2) g/L and a maximum standard deviation of only 2.5 % for the analyzed samples. The MDH activity from baker's yeast was also optimized, the enzyme showed a high stability at pH=8.0-9.0 and the activity was maintained completely at temperatures up to 40 degrees C for 1 hour. The results show that the colorimetric method using enzymatic preparations from dry baker's yeast is a simple and low-cost method with possibility of wide application

Colorimetric assay of ethanol using alcohol dehydrogenase from dry baker's yeast

Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) are oxidoreductases present in animal tissues, plants, and microorganisms. These enzymes attract major scientific interest for the evolutionary perspectives, afforded by their wide occurrence in nature, and for their use in synthesis, thanks to their broad substrate specificity and stereoselectivity. In the present study, the standardization of the activity of the alcohol dehydrogenase from baker's yeast was accomplished, and the pH and temperature stability showed, that the enzyme presented a high stability to pH 6.0-7.0 and the thermal stability were completely maintained up to 50 degrees C during 1 h. The assays of ethanol (detection range 1-5 mM or 4.6 x 10(-2) to 23.0 x 10(-2) g/L) in different samples in alcoholic beverages, presented a maximum deviation of only 7.2%. The standard curve and the analytic curve of this method meet the conditions of precision, sensitivity, simplicity, and low cost, required for a useable analytical method. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Application of methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris in the field of food industry - A review

Since ancient times, the utilization of yeasts by the man has a great impact on the socio-economic development. After the advent of the technology of recombinant DNA, great advances have occurred due to the acquisition of strains of mutant yeasts in the field of applied research, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae has soon been outstanding as an interesting candidate for the expression of heterologous proteins of biotechnological interest. As the time goes by other alternative systems of expression have been shown because they have advantages over Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Among those new systems, Pichia pastoris is outstanding as methylotrophic yeast capable of growing in a culture medium containing methanol as the only source of carbon and energy. The induction of production of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD, NAD(+): oxido-redutase EC 1.1. 1.8) by Pichia pastoris was accomplished in the medium containing methanol. One of the most important key parameters in Pichia pastoris expression system is the methanol concentration. Bibliographic reviews on the Pichia pastoris production system have shown that the best culture conditions vary according to the strain used and/or kind of heterologous protein desired to be expressed. Therefore, we have sought to develop a system, involving expression of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in the yeast Pichia pastoris, for generating sufficient quantities of the enzyme in order to asses its potential value for use in various food bioanalytical determination. Dehydrogenases have been widely used in the enzymatic assays of diverse composites of industrial interest, being enclosed among them glycerol and a number of important bioanalytical applications

Silk fibroin-antigenic peptides-YVO4:Eu3+ nanostructured thin films as sensors for hepatitis C

Nanostructured films prepared by Layer-by-Layer technique and containing silk fibroin, antigenic peptide NS5A-1 derived from hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A protein and YVO4:Eu3+ luminescent nanoparticles, were utilized in sensing of hepatitis C. Detection system exploits the biorecognition between the antibody anti-HCV and the antigenic peptide NS5A-1 through changes in luminescence properties. Films deposition was monitored by UV-vis Absorption and Fluorescence Spectroscopy measurements at each bilayer deposited. The Eu3+ luminescence properties were evaluated in the presence of anti-HCV for optical detection of specific antibody and anti-HIV used as negative control. Significant changes in luminescence were observed in the presence of anti-HCV concentrations. A new immunosensor platform is proposed for optical detection of hepatitis C. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Brazilian funding agency CNPqBrazilian funding agency FAPESPNanobiotec-CAPES network (Brazil)Sao Paulo State Univ, Inst Chem, UNESP, BR-14801970 Araraquara, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Sci & Technol, UNIFESP, BR-12231280 Sao Jose Dos Campos, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Sci & Technol, UNIFESP, BR-12231280 Sao Jose Dos Campos, BrazilWeb of Scienc