Abstract
Washed textiles can remain malodorous and dingy due to the recalcitrance of soils. Recent work has found that ‘invisible’ soils such as microbial extracellular DNA (eDNA) play a key role in the adhesion of extracellular polymeric substances that form matrixes contributing to these undesirable characteristics. Here we report the application of an immunostaining method to illustrate the cleaning mechanism of a nuclease (DNase I) acting upon eDNA. Extending previous work that established a key role for eDNA in anchoring these soil matrixes, this work provides new insights into the presence and effective removal of eDNA deposited on fabrics using high-resolution in-situ imaging. Using a monoclonal antibody specific to Z-DNA, we showed that when fabrics are washed with DNase I, the incidence of microbial eDNA is reduced. As well as a quantitative reduction in microbial eDNA, the deep cleaning benefits of this enzyme are shown using confocal microscopy and imaging analysis of T-shirt fibers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the use of a molecular probe has been leveraged for fabric and homecare-related R&D to visualize eDNA and evaluate its removal from textiles by a new-to-laundry DNase enzyme. The approaches described in the current work also have scope for re-application to identify further cleaning technology.
Highlights
Washed textiles can remain malodorous and dingy due to the recalcitrance of soils
The relative percentage of extracellular DNA (eDNA) reduction in T-shirts was 65 ± 6%, compared to only 36 ± 10% on the Nil DNase I washed half (Fig. 1b). These results suggest that addition of DNase I enzyme to a laundry wash does reduce the relative percentage of eDNA remaining on real items
The bacteria eventually build up biofilms and studies showed that an average 0.22 ± 0.1 g of eDNA per gram of cellular DNA, is produced by Pseudomonas biofilms[29]
Summary
Washed textiles can remain malodorous and dingy due to the recalcitrance of soils. Recent work has found that ‘invisible’ soils such as microbial extracellular DNA (eDNA) play a key role in the adhesion of extracellular polymeric substances that form matrixes contributing to these undesirable characteristics. Matrixes composed of EPS are reported to act as a scaffold to maintain the structural integrity and ensure the survival of these bacterial communities[9] These EPS matrixes contain a highly adhesive mixture of extracellular DNA (eDNA), polysaccharides, glycoproteins, phospholipids, humic acids and other s iderophores[10,11,12,13]. This EPS assembly acts as a bio-absorbing agent attracting other soils and polymers in the initial stages of bacterial adhesion. The use of DNase enzymes to remove eDNA from textiles will improve the sustainability of garment washing by maintaining high performance of detergent formulations even at low temperature cleaning c ycles[18,19]
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