Permeability enhancement of Escherichia coli by single‐walled carbon nanotube treatment

Abstract

This research investigated the use of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as an additive to increase the permeability of a bacterial cell wall. Recombinant Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) that expressed β-lactamase were exposed to SWNTs under various levels of concentration and agitation. Activity of β-lactamase in the culture fluid and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to determine the amount of released protein, and visually examine the permeability enhancement of the cells. It was found that β-lactamase release in the culture fluid occurred in a dose-dependent manner with treatment by SWNTs and was also dependent on agitation rate. Based on TEM, this treatment successfully caused an increase in permeability without significant damage to the cell wall. Consequently, SWNTs can be used as an enhancement agent to cause the release of intracellular proteins. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:654-657, 2017.

Hydrogel Nanospike Patch as a Flexible Anti-Pathogenic Scaffold for Regulating Stem Cell Behavior

“…The hSPIKE induced mechanical lysis in the cellular membrane of E. coli and B. subtilis , which is the underlying mechanism of the bactericidal properties of the high-density hSPIKE shown in Figure a and b. This observation agrees with previous studies that report sharp nanostructures can kill bacteria by physically rupturing the bacterial cell membrane. ,,− In contrast to the bacterial cells, it has been reported that stem cells can survive and proliferate on such nanostructures without affecting the cell viability, as observed in this study . The difference in cell volume between mammalian cells and bacterial cells ( i.e.…”