Visible Light Responsive Photocatalyst Induces Progressive and Apical-Terminus Preferential Damages on Escherichia coli Surfaces

Je-Wen Liou,Yao-Hsuan Tseng,Hsin-Hou Chang,Wen-Yi Chen,Ming-Hui Gu,Yen-Kai Chen,Yu-Jiun Hung,Yi-Cheng Chen,Dipshikha Chakravortty

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019982

Abstract

BackgroundRecent research shows that visible-light responsive photocatalysts have potential usage in antimicrobial applications. However, the dynamic changes in the damage to photocatalyzed bacteria remain unclear.Methodology/Principal FindingsFacilitated by atomic force microscopy, this study analyzes the visible-light driven photocatalyst-mediated damage of Escherichia coli. Results show that antibacterial properties are associated with the appearance of hole-like structures on the bacteria surfaces. Unexpectedly, these hole-like structures were preferentially induced at the apical terminus of rod shaped E. coli cells. Differentiating the damages into various levels and analyzing the percentage of damage to the cells showed that photocatalysis was likely to elicit sequential damages in E. coli cells. The process began with changing the surface properties on bacterial cells, as indicated in surface roughness measurements using atomic force microscopy, and holes then formed at the apical terminus of the cells. The holes were then subsequently enlarged until the cells were totally transformed into a flattened shape. Parallel experiments indicated that photocatalysis-induced bacterial protein leakage is associated with the progression of hole-like damages, further suggesting pore formation. Control experiments using ultraviolet light responsive titanium-dioxide substrates also obtained similar observations, suggesting that this is a general phenomenon of E. coli in response to photocatalysis.Conclusion/SignificanceThe photocatalysis-mediated localization-preferential damage to E. coli cells reveals the weak points of the bacteria. This might facilitate the investigation of antibacterial mechanism of the photocatalysis.

Highlights

Disinfectants are important to reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms for critical instrument sterilization, water treatment, food production, and hospitals or health care facilities
Compared with more cells in lower magnification images, these hole-like deformations seemed to be preferentially induced from the apical terminuses of the bacteria (Fig. 2C, D)
This study shows that atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a powerful imaging tool that is capable of achieving nanometer resolution images of biological samples and minimizing the artificial distortions of biological samples

Summary

Introduction

Disinfectants are important to reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms for critical instrument sterilization, water treatment, food production, and hospitals or health care facilities. Photocatalytic ultraviolet (UV) light responsive titanium dioxide (TiO2) substrates can effectively eliminate organic compounds or work as disinfectants [1,2]. The electrons and holes generated by these reactions have a strong reducing and oxidizing effect, and subsequently react with atmospheric water and oxygen to yield active oxygen species (ROS), such as hydroxyl radicals (.OH) and superoxide anions (O22) [3]. Both holes and ROS are extremely reactive when contacting organic compounds [3,4]. The dynamic changes in the damage to photocatalyzed bacteria remain unclear

Methods

Results

Conclusion