Abstract
The literature indicates the existence of a relationship between rhamnolipids and bacterial biofilm, as well as the ability of selected bacteria to produce rhamnolipids and alginate. However, the influence of biosurfactant molecules on the mechanical properties of biofilms are still not fully understood. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of rhamnolipids concentration, CaCl2 concentration, and ionic cross-linking time on the mechanical properties of alginate hydrogels using a Box–Behnken design. The mechanical properties of cross-linked alginate hydrogels were characterized using a universal testing machine. It was assumed that the addition of rhamnolipids mainly affects the compression load, and the value of this parameter is lower for hydrogels produced with biosurfactant concentration below CMC than for hydrogels obtained in pure water. In contrast, the addition of rhamnolipids in an amount exceeding CMC causes an increase in compression load. In bacterial biofilms, the presence of rhamnolipid molecules does not exceed the CMC value, which may confirm the influence of this biosurfactant on the formation of the biofilm structure. Moreover, rhamnolipids interact with the hydrophobic part of the alginate copolymer chains, and then the hydrophilic groups of adsorbed biosurfactant molecules create additional calcium ion trapping sites.
Highlights
Alginates are naturally occurring polysaccharides [1]
We focused on the influence of rhamnolipids on the mechanical properties of an alginate hydrogel
The presence of rhamnolipids changes the mechanical properties of the alginate hydrogel
Summary
Alginates are naturally occurring polysaccharides [1]. They consist of β-D-mannuronic acid (M) and α-L-guluronic acid (G) residues, linked together by β-(1-4) glycosidic bonds [2,3]. Cross-linked alginate hydrogels find numerous applications in many fields, including waste removal agents [8,9], drug carriers [10,11], controlled drug release systems [12,13,14,15], wound dressing materials [16,17,18,19], food products [20,21], and tissue engineering [22,23,24] Due to their high affinity for water and mechanical properties similar to soft tissue, they are used as a material for the construction of scaffolds supporting and facilitating cell growth, multiplication, and differentiation [25]
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