Key Laboratory for Molecular Enzymology and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, P. R. China ; College of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, P. R. China.
PLoS One. 2013 Nov 13;8(11):e79569. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079569. eCollection 2013.
Inorganic mesoporous materials exhibit good biocompatibility and hydrothermal stability for cell immobilization. However, it is difficult to encapsulate living cells under mild conditions, and new strategies for cell immobilization are needed. We designed a "fish-in-net" approach for encapsulation of enzymes in ordered mesoporous silica under mild conditions. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate the potential of this approach in immobilization of living cells.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Zymomonas mobilis cells were encapsulated in mesoporous silica-based materials under mild conditions by using a "fish-in-net" approach. During the encapsulation process, polyethyleneglycol was used as an additive to improve the immobilization efficiency. After encapsulation, the pore size, morphology and other features were characterized by various methods, including scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis, transmission electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Furthermore, the capacity of ethanol production by immobilized Zymomonas mobilis and free Zymomonas mobilis was compared.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In this study, Zymomonas mobilis cells were successfully encapsulated in mesoporous silica-based materials under mild conditions by the "fish-in-net" approach. Encapsulated cells could perform normal metabolism and exhibited excellent reusability. The results presented here illustrate the enormous potential of the "fish-in-net" approach for immobilization of living cells.
无机介孔材料具有良好的生物相容性和水热稳定性，适合用于细胞固定化。然而，在温和条件下难以封装活细胞，因此需要新的细胞固定化策略。我们设计了一种“网中捕鱼”的方法，在温和条件下将酶封装在有序介孔硅中。本研究的主要目的是证明这种方法在固定活细胞方面的潜力。
方法/主要发现：采用“网中捕鱼”的方法，在温和条件下将运动发酵单胞菌细胞封装在介孔硅基材料中。在封装过程中，使用聚乙二醇作为添加剂来提高固定化效率。封装后，通过多种方法对其进行了表征，包括扫描电子显微镜、氮气吸附-脱附分析、透射电子显微镜、傅里叶变换红外光谱和元素分析。此外，还比较了固定化运动发酵单胞菌和游离运动发酵单胞菌的乙醇生产能力。
结论/意义：本研究采用“网中捕鱼”的方法，成功地在温和条件下将运动发酵单胞菌细胞封装在介孔硅基材料中。封装后的细胞能够正常进行新陈代谢，并且具有出色的可重复使用性。本研究结果表明，“网中捕鱼”的方法在固定活细胞方面具有巨大的潜力。
