The James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Nat Chem. 2023 Jan;15(1):119-128. doi: 10.1038/s41557-022-01064-2. Epub 2022 Oct 24.
Interactions between the microbiota and their colonized environments mediate critical pathways from biogeochemical cycles to homeostasis in human health. Here we report a soil-inspired chemical system that consists of nanostructured minerals, starch granules and liquid metals. Fabricated via a bottom-up synthesis, the soil-inspired chemical system can enable chemical redistribution and modulation of microbial communities. We characterize the composite, confirming its structural similarity to the soil, with three-dimensional X-ray fluorescence and ptychographic tomography and electron microscopy imaging. We also demonstrate that post-synthetic modifications formed by laser irradiation led to chemical heterogeneities from the atomic to the macroscopic level. The soil-inspired material possesses chemical, optical and mechanical responsiveness to yield write-erase functions in electrical performance. The composite can also enhance microbial culture/biofilm growth and biofuel production in vitro. Finally, we show that the soil-inspired system enriches gut bacteria diversity, rectifies tetracycline-induced gut microbiome dysbiosis and ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced rodent colitis symptoms within in vivo rodent models.
微生物与其定植环境之间的相互作用介导了从生物地球化学循环到人类健康中动态平衡的关键途径。在这里，我们报告了一种受土壤启发的化学系统，它由纳米结构的矿物质、淀粉颗粒和液态金属组成。通过自下而上的合成制造，受土壤启发的化学系统可以实现化学再分配和微生物群落的调节。我们对复合材料进行了表征，通过三维 X 射线荧光和相衬断层扫描和电子显微镜成像确认了其与土壤的结构相似性。我们还证明了激光辐照形成的后合成修饰导致了从原子到宏观水平的化学不均匀性。受土壤启发的材料具有化学、光学和机械响应性，可在电性能中产生写-擦功能。该复合材料还可以增强体外微生物培养/生物膜的生长和生物燃料的生产。最后，我们表明，受土壤启发的系统丰富了肠道细菌的多样性，纠正了四环素诱导的肠道微生物组失调，并改善了葡聚糖硫酸钠诱导的啮齿动物结肠炎症状在体内啮齿动物模型中。
