Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

12 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

Dual-Fuel-Driven Bactericidal Micromotor.

ABSTRACT: In this paper, we report fabrication of the bimetallic Janus microsphere, a magnesium microsphere with a silver surface coating, through thermal evaporation technique. Because of the Janus structure, this micromotor can be propelled in two different directions by the surface silver or magnesium 'engine' and hydrogen peroxide or water fuel. In addition, due to the bactericidal property of silver, this autonomous micromotor is capable of killing bacteria in solution. As compared to the static one, the micromotor is able to kill the bacteria at a much faster rate (about nine times of that of the static one), demonstrating the superiority of the motion one. We thus believe that the micromotor shown in the current study is potentially attractive for the environmental hygiene applications.

SUBMITTER: Ge Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6223669 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Publications

Dual-Fuel-Driven Bactericidal Micromotor.

Ge Ya Y Liu Mei M Liu Limei L Sun Yunyu Y Zhang Hui H Dong Bin B

Nano-micro letters 20151113 2

In this paper, we report fabrication of the bimetallic Janus microsphere, a magnesium microsphere with a silver surface coating, through thermal evaporation technique. Because of the Janus structure, this micromotor can be propelled in two different directions by the surface silver or magnesium 'engine' and hydrogen peroxide or water fuel. In addition, due to the bactericidal property of silver, this autonomous micromotor is capable of killing bacteria in solution. As compared to the static one, ...[more]

PMID: 30460276

Similar Datasets

Beyond fossil fuel-driven nitrogen transformations.

Project description:Nitrogen is fundamental to all of life and many industrial processes. The interchange of nitrogen oxidation states in the industrial production of ammonia, nitric acid, and other commodity chemicals is largely powered by fossil fuels. A key goal of contemporary research in the field of nitrogen chemistry is to minimize the use of fossil fuels by developing more efficient heterogeneous, homogeneous, photo-, and electrocatalytic processes or by adapting the enzymatic processes underlying the natural nitrogen cycle. These approaches, as well as the challenges involved, are discussed in this Review.

| S-EPMC6088796 | biostudies-literature

Chemical fuel-driven living and transient supramolecular polymerization.

Project description:Temporal control over self-assembly process is a desirable trait in the quest towards adaptable and controllable materials. The ability to devise synthetic ways to control the growth, as well as decay of materials has long been a property which only the biological systems could perform seamlessly. A common synthetic strategy which works on the biological principles such as chemical fuel-driven control over temporal self-assembly profile has not been completely realized synthetically. Here we show, we filled this dearth by showing that a chemical fuel driven self-assembling system can not only be grown in a controlled manner, but it can also result in precise control over the assembly and disassembly kinetics. Herein, we elaborate strategies which clearly show that once a chemical fuel driven self-assembly is established it can be made receptive to multiple molecular cues such that the inherent growth and decay characteristics are programmed into the ensemble.

| S-EPMC6347607 | biostudies-literature

Organocatalytic Control over a Fuel-Driven Transient-Esterification Network*.

Project description:Signal transduction in living systems is the conversion of information into a chemical change, and is the principal process by which cells communicate. In nature, these functions are encoded in non-equilibrium (bio)chemical reaction networks (CRNs) controlled by enzymes. However, man-made catalytically controlled networks are rare. We incorporated catalysis into an artificial fuel-driven out-of-equilibrium CRN, where the forward (ester formation) and backward (ester hydrolysis) reactions are controlled by varying the ratio of two organocatalysts: pyridine and imidazole. This catalytic regulation enables full control over ester yield and lifetime. This fuel-driven strategy was expanded to a responsive polymer system, where transient polymer conformation and aggregation are controlled through fuel and catalyst levels. Altogether, we show that organocatalysis can be used to control a man-made fuel-driven system and induce a change in a macromolecular superstructure, as in natural non-equilibrium systems.

| S-EPMC7693295 | biostudies-literature

Biomimetic temporal self-assembly via fuel-driven controlled supramolecular polymerization.

Project description:Temporal control of supramolecular assemblies to modulate the structural and transient characteristics of synthetic nanostructures is an active field of research within supramolecular chemistry. Molecular designs to attain temporal control have often taken inspiration from biological assemblies. One such assembly in Nature which has been studied extensively, for its well-defined structure and programmable self-assembly, is the ATP-driven seeded self-assembly of actin. Here we show, in a synthetic manifestation of actin self-assembly, an ATP-selective and ATP-fuelled, controlled supramolecular polymerization of a phosphate receptor functionalised monomer. It undergoes fuel-driven nucleation and seeded growth that provide length control and narrow dispersity of the resultant assemblies. Furthermore, coupling via ATP-hydrolysing enzymes yielded its transient characteristics. These results will usher investigations into synthetic analogues of important biological self-assembly motifs and will prove to be a significant advancement toward biomimetic temporally programmed materials.

| S-EPMC5878180 | biostudies-literature

Membrane voltage dysregulation driven by metabolic dysfunction underlies bactericidal activity of aminoglycosides.

Project description:Aminoglycosides are broad-spectrum antibiotics whose mechanism of action is under debate. It is widely accepted that membrane voltage potentiates aminoglycoside activity, which is ascribed to voltage-dependent drug uptake. In this paper, we measured the response of Escherichia coli treated with aminoglycosides and discovered that the bactericidal action arises not from the downstream effects of voltage-dependent drug uptake, but rather directly from dysregulated membrane potential. In the absence of voltage, aminoglycosides are taken into cells and exert bacteriostatic effects by inhibiting translation. However, cell killing was immediate upon re-polarization. The hyperpolarization arose from altered ATP flux, which induced a reversal of the F1Fo-ATPase to hydrolyze ATP and generated the deleterious voltage. Heterologous expression of an ATPase inhibitor completely eliminated bactericidal activity, while loss of the F-ATPase reduced the electrophysiological response to aminoglycosides. Our data support a model of voltage-induced death, and separates aminoglycoside bacteriostasis and bactericide in E. coli.

| S-EPMC7406350 | biostudies-literature

Rainwater-driven microbial fuel cells for power generation in remote areas.

Project description:The possibility of using rainwater as a sustainable anolyte in an air-cathode microbial fuel cell (MFC) is investigated in this study. The results indicate that the proposed MFC can work within a wide temperature range (from 0 to 30°C) and under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. However, the rainwater season has a distinct impact. Under anaerobic conditions, the summer rainwater achieves a promised open circuit potential (OCP) of 553 ± 2 mV without addition of nutrients at the ambient temperature, while addition of nutrients leads to an increase in the cell voltage to 763 ± 3 and 588 ± 2 mV at 30°C and ambient temperature, respectively. The maximum OCP for the winter rainwater (492 ± 1.5 mV) is obtained when the reactor is exposed to the air (aerobic conditions) at ambient temperature. Furthermore, the winter rainwater MFC generates a maximum power output of 7 ± 0.1 mWm-2 at a corresponding current density value of 44 ± 0.7 mAm-2 at 30°C. While, at the ambient temperature, the maximum output power is obtained with the summer rainwater (7.2 ± 0.1 mWm-2 at 26 ± 0.5 mAm-2). Moreover, investigation of the bacterial diversity indicates that Lactobacillus spp. is the dominant electroactive genus in the summer rainwater, while in the winter rainwater, Staphylococcus spp. is the main electroactive bacteria. The cyclic voltammetry analysis confirms that the electrons are delivered directly from the bacterial biofilm to the anode surface and without mediators. Overall, this study opens a new avenue for using a novel sustainable type of MFC derived from rainwater.

| S-EPMC8611341 | biostudies-literature

A Rotating Spiral Micromotor for Noninvasive Zygote Transfer

Project description:Abstract Embryo transfer (ET) is a decisive step in the in vitro fertilization process. In most cases, the embryo is transferred to the uterus after several days of in vitro culture. Although studies have identified the beneficial effects of ET on proper embryo development in the earlier stages, this strategy is compromised by the necessity to transfer early embryos (zygotes) back to the fallopian tube instead of the uterus, which requires a more invasive, laparoscopic procedure, termed zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT). Magnetic micromotors offer the possibility to mitigate such surgical interventions, as they have the potential to transport and deliver cellular cargo such as zygotes through the uterus and fallopian tube noninvasively, actuated by an externally applied rotating magnetic field. This study presents the capture, transport, and release of bovine and murine zygotes using two types of magnetic micropropellers, helix and spiral. Although helices represent an established micromotor architecture, spirals surpass them in terms of motion performance and with their ability to reliably capture and secure the cargo during both motion and transfer between different environments. Herein, this is demonstrated with murine oocytes/zygotes as the cargo; this is the first step toward the application of noninvasive, magnetic micromotor?assisted ZIFT. Spiral micropropellers that capture, transport, and release oocytes and zygotes, actuated solely by a rotating magnetic field, and are transferred between different environments without losing the cargo, are presented. The propulsion and transport performance of the innovative propellers and their advantages over established helical micromotors are demonstrated regarding applicability in a noninvasive alternative concept to laparoscopy, zygote transfer by micromotors.

| S-EPMC7509649 | biostudies-literature

Micromotor-mediated sperm constrictions for improved swimming performance.

Project description:Sperm-driven micromotors, consisting of a single sperm cell captured in a microcap, utilize the strong propulsion generated by the flagellar beat of motile spermatozoa for locomotion. It enables the movement of such micromotors in biological media, while being steered remotely by means of an external magnetic field. The substantial decrease in swimming speed, caused by the additional hydrodynamic load of the microcap, limits the applicability of sperm-based micromotors. Therefore, to improve the performance of such micromotors, we first investigate the effects of additional cargo on the flagellar beat of spermatozoa. We designed two different kinds of microcaps, which each result in different load responses of the flagellar beat. As an additional design feature, we constrain rotational degrees of freedom of the cell's motion by modifying the inner cavity of the cap. Particularly, cell rolling is substantially reduced by tightly locking the sperm head inside the microcap. Likewise, cell yawing is decreased by aligning the micromotors under an external static magnetic field. The observed differences in swimming speed of different micromotors are not so much a direct consequence of hydrodynamic effects, but rather stem from changes in flagellar bending waves, hence are an indirect effect. Our work serves as proof-of-principle that the optimal design of microcaps is key for the development of efficient sperm-driven micromotors.

| S-EPMC8113191 | biostudies-literature

Nanodefensin-encased hydrogel with dual bactericidal and pro-regenerative functions for advanced wound therapy.

Project description:Background: Host defense peptides (HDPs) have emerged as a novel therapeutic paradigm for wound management; however, their clinical applications remain a challenge owing to their poor pharmacological properties and lack of suitable pharmaceutical formulations. Nanodefensin (ND), a nanoengineered human α-defensin 5 (HD5), has shown improved pharmacological properties relative to the parent compound. In this study, we engineered a nanodefensin-encased hydrogel (NDEFgel), investigated the effects of NDEFgel on wound healing, and elucidated underlying mechanisms. Method: ND was chemically synthesized and tested functions by in vitro antimicrobial and scratch assays and western blotting. Different NDEFgels were evaluated by in vitro characterizations including degradation, drug release and antimicrobial activity. In full-thickness excisional murine models, the optimal NDEFgel was directly applied onto wound sites, and the efficacy was assessed. Moreover, the underlying mechanisms of pro-regenerative effect developed by NDEFgel were also explored. Results: Apart from bactericidal effects, ND modulated fibroblast behaviors by promoting migration and differentiation. Among the tested hydrogels, the Pluronic F127 (Plu) hydrogel represented the most desirable carrier for ND delivery owing to its favorable controlled release and compatibility with ND. Local treatment of NDEFgel on the wound bed resulted in accelerated wound regeneration and attenuated bacterial burden. We further demonstrated that NDEFgel therapy significantly upregulated genes related to collagen deposition and fibroblasts, and increased the expression of myofibroblasts and Rac1. We therefore found that Rac1 is a critical factor in the ND-induced modulation of fibroblast behaviors in vitro through a Rac1-dependent cytoskeletal rearrangement. Conclusion: Our results indicate that NDEFgel may be a promising dual-action therapeutic option for advanced wound management in the future.

| S-EPMC7914350 | biostudies-literature

Model-Driven Controlled Alteration of Nanopillar Cap Architecture Reveals its Effects on Bactericidal Activity.

Project description:Nanostructured surfaces can be engineered to kill bacteria in a contact-dependent manner. The study of bacterial interactions with a nanoscale topology is thus crucial to developing antibacterial surfaces. Here, a systematic study of the effects of nanoscale topology on bactericidal activity is presented. We describe the antibacterial properties of highly ordered and uniformly arrayed cotton swab-shaped (or mushroom-shaped) nanopillars. These nanostructured surfaces show bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A biophysical model of the cell envelope in contact with the surface, developed ab initio from the infinitesimal strain theory, suggests that bacterial adhesion and subsequent lysis are highly influenced by the bending rigidity of the cell envelope and the surface topography formed by the nanopillars. We used the biophysical model to analyse the influence of the nanopillar cap geometry on the bactericidal activity and made several geometrical alterations of the nanostructured surface. Measurement of the bactericidal activities of these surfaces confirms model predictions, highlights the non-trivial role of cell envelope bending rigidity, and sheds light on the effects of nanopillar cap architecture on the interactions with the bacterial envelope. More importantly, our results show that the surface nanotopology can be rationally designed to enhance the bactericidal efficiency.

| S-EPMC7074768 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data