Bioinspired Magneto-optical Bacteria

“Two-in-one” magneto-optical bacteria have been produced using the probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum for the first time. We took advantage of two features of bacteria to synthesize this novel and bifunctional nanostructure: their metal-reducing properties, to produce gold nanoparticles, and their capacity to incorporate iron oxide nanoparticles at their external surface. The magneto-optical bacteria survive the process and behave as a magnet at room temperature.This work was funded by Biosearch S.A. (POSTBIO project-Agency for Innovation and Development of Andalucia IDEA) and by MINECO and FEDER (project CTQ2012-32236)

Bi-Functional Silica Nanoparticles Doped with Iron Oxide and CdTe Prepared by a Facile Method

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) and iron oxide nanoparticles doped silica nanospheres were prepared by a multistep method. Iron oxide nanoparticles were first coated with silica and then modified with amino group. Thereafter, CdTe nanoparticles were assembled on the particle surfaces by their strong interaction with amino group. Finally, an outer silica shell was deposited. The final products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, vibration sample magnetometer, photoluminescence spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), and fluorescent microscopy. The characterization results showed that the final nanomaterial possessed a saturation magnetization of about 5.8 emu g−1and an emission peak at 588 nm when the excitation wavelength fixed at 380 nm

Analytical protocols for separation and electron microscopy of nanoparticles interacting with bacterial cells

An important step toward understanding interactions between nanoparticles (NPs) and bacteria is the ability to directly observe NPs interacting with bacterial cells. NPbacteria mixtures typical in nanomedicine, however, are not yet amendable for direct imaging in solution. Instead, evidence of NPcell interactions must be preserved in derivative (usually dried) samples to be subsequently revealed in high-resolution images, e.g., via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Here, this concept is realized for a mixed suspension of model NPs and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. First, protocols for analyzing the relative colloidal stabilities of NPs and bacteria are developed and validated based on systematic centrifugation and comparison of colony forming unit (CFU) counting and optical density (OD) measurements. Rate-dependence of centrifugation efficiency for each component suggests differential sedimentation at a specific predicted rate as an effective method for removing free NPs after co-incubation; the remaining fraction comprises bacteria with any associated NPs and can be examined, e.g., by SEM, for evidence of NPbacteria interactions. These analytical protocols, validated by systematic control experiments and high-resolution SEM imaging, should be generally applicable for investigating NPbacteria interactions.financial support from the following sources: grant SFRH/BPD/47693/2008 from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT); FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013; project “BioHealth Biotechnology and Bioengineering approaches to improve health quality”, Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000027, cofunded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2−O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER; project “Consolidating Research Expertise and Resources on Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology at CEB/IBB”, ref. FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER- 027462