Lipopeptide Biosurfactant Research Articles

Microbial Biosurfactants in Cosmetic and Personal Skincare Pharmaceutical Formulations.

Cosmetic and personal care products are globally used and often applied directly on the human skin. According to a recent survey in Europe, the market value of cosmetic and personal care products in Western Europe reached about 84 billion euros in 2018 and are predicted to increase by approximately 6% by the end of 2020. With these significant sums of money spent annually on cosmetic and personal care products, along with chemical surfactants being the main ingredient in a number of their formulations, of which many have been reported to have the potential to cause detrimental effects such as allergic reactions and skin irritations to the human skin; hence, the need for the replacement of chemical surfactants with other compounds that would have less or no negative effects on skin health. Biosurfactants (surfactants of biological origin) have exhibited great potential such as lower toxicity, skin compatibility, protection and surface moisturizing effects which are key components for an effective skincare routine. This review discusses the antimicrobial, skin surface moisturizing and low toxicity properties of glycolipid and lipopeptide biosurfactants which could make them suitable substitutes for chemical surfactants in current cosmetic and personal skincare pharmaceutical formulations. Finally, we discuss some challenges and possible solutions for biosurfactant applications.

Application of a new bio-ASP for enhancement of oil recovery: Mechanism study and core displacement test

The evaluations of Alkaline-Biosurfactant-Biopolymer (ABsBp) flooding for enhancement of oil recovery applications were explored. A lipopeptide biosurfactant (surfactin) and a biopolymer (schizophyllan) in combination with alkali (Na2CO3) were experimentally investigated to evaluate the possibility for EOR studies using native Omani reservoir cores and Berea core plugs. The selected oil reservoir was high permeability (500–1000 mD) sandstone type, the reservoir temperature of 50 °C, and less than 80% water cut. The crude oil was also procured from the selected Omani reservoir, having 27.15 API. The interfacial tension (IFT) values of 0.02–0.1mN/m were observed at comparatively lower biosurfactant and alkali concentrations. The effect of other chemicals and biosurfactant on biopolymer was also studied on its viscosity at reservoir temperature, and no adverse effect was observed on biopolymer performance in the presence of alkali and biosurfactant. The injection of a 0.5 PV slug of 1.1% (w/v) Na2CO3, 20% (v/v) biosurfactant (400 ppm) and 20% (v/v) biopolymer (600 ppm), followed by 3 PV of biopolymer (600 ppm) drive showed 14% and 32% of additional oil recovery from reservoir cores and Berea cores respectively. This is the first report of Alkali-Biosurfactant-Biopolymer application using surfactin and schizophyllan, showing additional oil recovery from Omani reservoir cores and Berea sandstone cores.

Fabrication of monodispersed copper oxide nanoparticles with potential application as antimicrobial agents

Cuprous oxide nanoparticles (Cu2O NPs) were fabricated in reverse micellar templates by using lipopeptidal biosurfactant as a stabilizing agent. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectrum (EDX) and UV–Vis analysis were carried out to investigate the morphology, size, composition and stability of the nanoparticles synthesized. The antibacterial activity of the as-synthesized Cu2O NPs was evaluated against Gram-positive B. subtilis CN2 and Gram-negative P. aeruginosa CB1 strains, based on cell viability, zone of inhibition and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) indices. The lipopeptide stabilized Cu2O NPs with an ultra-small size of 30 ± 2 nm diameter exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 62.5 µg/mL at pH5. MTT cell viability assay displayed a median inhibition concentration (IC50) of 21.21 μg/L and 18.65 μg/mL for P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis strains respectively. Flow cytometric quantification of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) using 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate staining revealed a significant ROS generation up to 2.6 to 3.2-fold increase in the cells treated with 62.5 µg/mL Cu2O NPs compared to the untreated controls, demonstrating robust antibacterial activity. The results suggest that lipopeptide biosurfactant stabilized Cu2O NPs could have promising potential for biocompatible bactericidal and therapeutic applications.

The petroleum-degrading bacteria Alcaligenes aquatilis strain YGD 2906 as a potential source of lipopeptide biosurfactant

Soummam river sediments were used to isolate a biosurfactant-producing and petroleum-degrading bacterium. The strain was identified as Alcaligenes aquatilis YGD 2906 using phenotypic characterization and 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. The culture supernatant of the isolated strain showed no haemolytic activity had an oiled displacement of 23.66 ± 0.57 mm and Emulsification index (E24) of 68.5% ± 0.5%. The biosurfactant produced in the minimal medium was extracted by acid precipitation and quantified gravimetrically, with a yield of 4.2 ± 0.01 g/L. The crude Biosurfactant was determinate by TLC and MALDI-TOF-MS as a lipopeptide with protein and lipid content of 8.49 ± 0.19% and 52.66 ± 1.16% respectively. This lipopeptide structure was confirmed by HPLC-MS/MS. This technique gave two main peak ranges which are typical of surfactins, iturins and fengycin. Tandem mass spectrometry was further used to elucidate the structure of the lipopeptide produced by the strain. The non-haemolytic nature of the lipopeptide produced by this strain offers opportunities for biomedical applications. Further work is needed to optimize production and analyze potential biomedical uses of this lipopeptide including antimicrobial properties.

Biosynthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Assisted by Lipopeptide Biosurfactant Derived from Acinetobacter junii B6 and Evaluation of Its Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Activities

In the present work, the lipopeptide biosurfactant (LPB) produced by Acinetobacter junii B6 was applied for the production of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). Several methods, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were used to determine the properties of the synthesized Au NPs. TEM and SEM images of Au NPs showed spherical and mostly hexagon-shaped and well-dispersed nanoparticles in the range of 10–17 nm. Cytotoxic activity of the Au NPs (assisted by WST-1 assay) revealed IC50 (μg/ml) of 89.08 ± 0.4, 646.12 ± 0.5, 3.37 ± 0.1, and 770 ± 0.15 against cell lines of U87, A549, MCF7, and 3T3, respectively. However, the anti-proliferative activities of biogenic Au NPs were significantly lower (IC50 of 770 ± 0.15 μg/mL) than HAuCl4 (IC50 of 0.26 ± 0.03 μg/mL) against 3T3 normal cell. The attained results of the antibacterial effect of the produced Au NPs and Au3+ ions revealed that Au3+ ions had a higher inhibitory effect than Au NPs against 3 Gram-positive and 4 Gram-negative bacterial strains. In the present study, we introduced a green approach for the synthesis of Au NPs using non-toxic and biodegradable LPBs in the absence of any chemical reducing agent.

Biosurfactants Induce Antimicrobial Peptide Production through the Activation of TmSpatzles in Tenebrio molitor.

Biosurfactant immunomodulatory activities in mammals, nematodes, and plants have been investigated. However, the immune activation property of biosurfactants in insects has not been reported. Therefore, here, we studied the defense response triggered by lipopeptides (fengycin and iturin A), glycolipids (rhamnolipid), and cyclic polypeptides (bacitracin) in the coleopteran insect, mealworm Tenebrio molitor. The in vitro antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria and fungi (Candida albicans) were assessed by mixing these pathogens with the hemolymph of biosurfactant-immune-activated larvae. E. coli growth was remarkably inhibited by this hemolymph. The antimicrobial peptide (AMP) induction results also revealed that all biosurfactants tested induced several AMPs, exclusively in hemocytes. The survivability analysis of T. molitor larvae challenged by E. coli (106 CFU/µL) at 24 h post biosurfactant-immune activation showed that fengycin, iturin A, and rhamnopid significantly increased survivability against E. coli. Biosurfactant-induced TmSpatzles activation was also monitored, and the results showed that TmSpz3 and TmSpz-like were upregulated in the hemocytes of iturin A-injected larvae, while TmSpz4 and TmSpz6 were upregulated in the fat bodies of the fengycin-, iturin A-, and rhamnolipid-injected larvae. Overall, these results suggest that lipopeptide and glycolipid biosurfactants induce the expression of AMPs in T. molitor via the activation of spätzle genes, thereby increasing the survivability of T. molitor against E. coli.

Phylogenetic characterization and screening of halophilic bacteria from Algerian salt lake for the production of biosurfactant and enzymes

Environments containing significant concentration of NaCl such as salt lakes harbor extremophiles microorganisms which have a great biotechnology interest. To explore the diversity of Bacteria in Chott Tinsilt (Algeria), an isolation program was performed. Water samples were collected from the saltern during the pre-salt harvesting phase. This Chott is high in salt (22.47% (w/v). Seven halophiles Bacteria were selected for further characterization. The isolated strains were able to grow optimally in media with 10–25% (w/v) total salts. Molecular identification of the isolates was performed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. It showed that these cultured isolates included members belonging to the Halomonas, Staphylococcus, Salinivibrio, Planococcus and Halobacillus genera with less than 98% of similarity with their closest phylogenetic relative. The halophilic bacterial isolates were also characterized for the production of biosurfactant and industrially important enzymes. Most isolates produced hydrolases and biosurfactants at high salt concentration. In fact, this is the first report on bacterial strains (A4 and B4) which were a good biosurfactant and coagulase producer at 20% and 25% ((w/v)) NaCl. In addition, the biosurfactant produced by the strain B4 at high salinity (25%) was also stable at high temperature (30-100°C) and high alkalinity (pH 11).

Formulation of Bio-Based Washing Agent and Its Application for Removal of Petroleum Hydrocarbons From Drill Cuttings Before Bioremediation.

Drill cuttings from petroleum exploration and production sites can cause diverse environmental problems. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) are a major pollutant from the use of polyolefin-based mud. As an alternative to incineration, this study investigated the application of surfactant-enhanced washing technology prior to bioremediation. The washing step was necessary because the initial TPH concentrations were quite high at approximately 15% (w/w). Washing agents were formulated by varying the concentration of lipopeptide biosurfactant (in foamate or cell-free broth), Dehydol LS7TH (fatty alcohol ethoxylate 7EO, oleochemical surfactant) and butanol (as a lipophilic linker) at different salinities. The most efficient formula produced a Winsor Type I microemulsion (oil-in-water microemulsion) with polyolefin and contained only 20% (v/v) foamate and 2% (v/v) Dehydol LS7TH in water. Due to the synergistic behavior between the anionic lipopeptides and non-ionic Dehydol LS7TH, the formula efficiently removed 92% of the TPHs from the drill cuttings when applied in a jar test. To reduce the cost, the concentrations of each surfactant should be reduced; thus, the formula was optimized by the simplex lattice mixture design. In addition, cell-free broth, at a pH of 10, containing 3.0 g/L lipopeptides was applied instead of foamate because it was easy to prepare. The optimized formula removed 81.2% of the TPHs and contained 72.0% cell-free broth and 1.4% Dehydol LS7TH in water. A 20-kg soil washing system was later tested where the petroleum removal efficiency decreased to 70.7% due to polyolefin redeposition during separation of the washing solution. The remaining TPHs (4.5%) in the washed drilled cuttings were further degraded by a mixture of Marinobacter salsuginis RK5, Microbacterium saccharophilum RK15 and Gordonia amicalis JC11. To promote TPH biodegradation, biochar and fertilizer were applied along with bacterial consortia in a microcosm experiment. After 49-day incubation, the TPHs were reduced to 0.9% by both physical and biological mechanisms, while the TPHs in the unamended samples remained unaffected. With the use of the formulated bio-based washing agent and bioremediation approach, the on-site treatment of drill cuttings could be conducted with an acceptable cost and low environmental impacts.

Screening of Bacillus strains in biocontrol of pathogen Dickeya dadantii causing stem and root rot disease of sweet potato

ABSTRACT Outbreaks of stem and root rot disease of sweet potato caused by Dickeya dadantii recently occurred in major sweet potato planting areas in China. This study aimed to screen effective Bacillus strains in biocontrol of the bacterial soft rot pathogen. We screened plant-associated Bacillus strains capable of inhibiting D. dadantii using an in vitro overlay culture assay and an in vivo tuber slice assay. All Bacillus strains inhibited D. dadantii growth and maceration of sweet potato tubers. Two strains B. amyloliquefaciens A3 and B. velezensis A2 showed significantly higher rates of in vitro inhibition (55% and 50%) on D. dadantii growth and in vivo reduction (82% and 77%) of the maceration of sweet potato tuber slices by D. dadantii than other Bacillus strains did. They showed broad-spectrum inhibition on growth of soft rot Dickeya and Pectobacterium strains. They protected sweet potato seed tubers from infection by D. dadantii and promoted seedling growth. Their culture supernatants inhibited D. dadantii growth, swimming and biofilms and damaged D. dadantii cells. B. amyloliquefaciens A3 is more effective than B. velezensis A2 in producing surfactins, well-known lipopeptide antibiotics and biosurfactants, and inhibiting D. dadantii. Together, we developed an effective method to screen effective Bacillus strains to control the soft rot pathogen D. dadantii and screened out a strong surfactin producer B. amyloliquefaciens A3, which can be used as a reference strain for further screening of more effective Bacillus strains and to develop an agent to control the stem and root rot disease of sweet potato.

Valorization of Lipopeptides Biosurfactants as Anticancer Agents

Biosurfactants are natural compounds produced biologically by certain bacterial strains. They are promising alternatives in several applications due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and reduced toxicity. Systemic toxicity problems and drug resistance in tumor chemotherapy are urging the continued discovery of new antitumor agents. Biosurfactants have significant effect in inhibiting multiple tumor types. Specifically, surfactin, iturin, and fengycin lipopeptide biosurfactant were previously produced from several bacterial species belonging to Bacillus genus. Only few previous studies investigated their cytotoxicity against some tumor types such as breast, colon, leukemia, hepatoma and others. Due to the probability of being potential antitumor treatments, biosurfactants nanoparticles could be clinically recommended. This review discussed the properties of biologically-produced biosurfactants and their antitumor activities against distinctive cancer models. Additionally, it underlines their potential mechanisms and sheds light on the discovery of new active bioproducts.

Fish Waste Based Lipopeptide Production and the Potential Application as a Bio-Dispersant for Oil Spill Control.

There is a growing acceptance worldwide for the application of dispersants as a marine oil spill response strategy. The development of more effective dispersants with less toxicity and higher biodegradability would be a step forward in improving public acceptance and regulatory approvals for their use. By applying advances in environmental biotechnology, a bio-dispersant agent with a lipopeptide biosurfactant produced by Bacillus subtilis N3-1P as the key component was formulated in this study. The economic feasibility of producing biosurfactant (a high-added-value bioproduct) from fish waste-based peptone as a nutrient substrate was evaluated. Protein hydrolyzate was prepared from cod liver and head wastes obtained from fish processing facilities. Hydrolysis conditions (i.e., time, temperature, pH and enzyme to substrate level) for preparing protein hydrolyzates were optimized by response surface methodology using a factorial design. The critical micelle dilution (CMD) value for biosurfactant produced from the fish liver and head waste generated peptones was 54.72 and 47.59 CMD, respectively. Biosurfactant product generated by fish liver peptone had a low critical micelle concentration of 0.18 g L–1 and could reduce the surface tension of distilled water to 27.9 mN/m. Structure characterization proved that the generated biosurfactant product belongs to the lipopeptide class. An alternative to the key surfactant dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium (DOSS) used in Corexit 9500 has been proposed based on a binary mixture of lipopeptides and DOSS that exhibited synergistic effects. Using the standard baffled flask test, a high dispersion efficiency of 76.8% for Alaska North Slope oil was achieved at a biodispersant composition of 80/20 (v/v) of lipopeptides/DOSS. The results show that fish waste can be utilized to produce a more effective, environmentally acceptable and cost-efficient biodispersant that can be applied to oil spills in the marine environment.

Identification and Characterization of Lipopeptide Biosurfactant Producing Microbacterium sp Isolated from Brackish River Water.

Bioremediation has taken its call for removing pollutants for years. The oilcontaminated surroundings are majorly hazardous for sustaining life, but a great contribution to nature in the form of microorganisms. The complex carbon-hydrogen chain has served as classic raw material to chemical industries, which has perked up the hydrocarbon waste. Microbial remediation has been thus, focused to deal with the lacuna, where the new addition to this category is Microbacterium species. The identification and characterization of lipopeptide biosurfactant producing Microbacterium spp. isolated from brackish river water. The strain was isolated from an oil-contaminated lake. The strain was tested with all the other isolated species for oil degradation using screening protocols such as haemolysis, oil spread assay, BATH, E24, etc. The produced biosurfactant was extracted by acid precipitation, followed by solvent recovery. The strain with maximum potential was sequenced and was subjected to phylogeny assessment using in silico tools. Novel Microbacterium species produce the extracellular biosurfactant. The surface tension of Microbacterium was found to be 32mN/m, indicates its powerful surface tension-reducing property. The strain was optimized for the production of biosurfactant and the best results were obtained with sucrose (2%) and yeast extract (3%) medium at 7 pH and 40°C temperature. The isolate was confirmed to be a novel Microbacterium species that could produce 0.461 gm biosurfactant in 100 ml of the medium throughout a life cycle and novel strain of isolate was deposited to NCBI as Microbacterium spp. ANSKSLAB01 using an accession number: KU179507.

High-yield expression of extracellular lipase from Yarrowia lipolytica and its interactions with lipopeptide biosurfactants: A biophysical approach

The unconventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is known as a producer of extracellular lipases. Here we overexpressed extracellular lipase (YlLip2) in yeast strain Y. lipolytica AJD ΔXΔA-Lip2 harboring the overexpression cassette of the YALI0A20350 gene under the strong hybrid promoter UAS1B16-TEF. To maintain a high level of YlLip2 production, two extracellular proteases of Y. lipolytica, AEPp and AXPp, were deleted. The purified recombinant YlLip2 presented optimal catalytic activities at 37 °C and pH 8.0. The effect of two lipopeptide biosurfactants, i.e., amphisin produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens DSS73 and viscosinamide secreted by P. fluorescens DR54, on the conformation and activity of YlLip2 was evaluated using spectral methods, surface tension, and the enzyme activity assay. YlLip2 demonstrated high tolerance of the tested biosurfactants and had greater activity retention after incubation with both biosurfactants. Finally, we observed that intrinsic fluorescence intensity of YlLip2 decreased significantly with increasing lipopeptides concentration ranging from 2.5 to 60 μM. Our results showed that both biosurfactants improve enzymatic activity of YlLip2 and might suggest better interaction of the substrate with the active site. These favorable characteristics make YlLip2 a prospective additive in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and detergent industries.

Influence of biosurfactant producing Bacillus tequilensis LK5.4 isolate of kinema, a fermented soybean, on seed germination and growth of maize (Zea mays L.).

In this study, the lipopeptide biosurfactant was extracted, purified and characterized from the Bacillus isolate LK5.4 obtained from kinema samples of Sikkim. Plant growth-promoting property of the biosurfactant producing bacterium was also evaluated. Out of fifty-seven isolates, only ten were biosurfactant producer as determined by the oil displacement test. Bacillus isolate LK5.4 showed the maximum emulsification index (52.3 ± 0.02), reduced surface tension up to 40% and produced 754mgL-1 biosurfactant in the nutrient broth. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the isolate LK5.4 was identified as B. tequilensis. Biosurfactant was purified by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). Evaluation of the chemical characteristics by TLC, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy identified the biosurfactant as surfactin. The effect of different concentration of biosurfactant in maize seed germination was evaluated under in vitro condition. It showed the fastest growth of seedlings at 300µg/ml biosurfactant solution. Similar results were shown by the potted plant experiment, where the soil was directly treated with biosurfactant producing bacterium LK5.4. The LK5.4 treated plants showed a mean height of 29.17 ± 0.47cm and mean leaf length of 18.42 ± 0.17cm while the mean height and mean length of the leaf were 15.48 ± 0.98cm and 11.12 ± 0.40cm respectively in the control plants. The treated plants had higher moisture content (68.48 ± 2.79%) than the control plants (50.53 ± 1.63%), which is because of higher bioadsorption in the treated plants. These results provided indirect evidence of plant growth-promoting property of the biosurfactant.

Surfactin production in the bioreactor: Emphasis on magnetic nanoparticles application.

Surfactin is one of the main lipopeptide biosurfactants produced by different species of Bacillus subtilis. This study aims to analyze the effect of starch‐coated Fe0 and Fe3+ nanoparticles on the biomass and biosurfactant production of Bacillus subtilis. Out of 70 soil samples, 20 Bacillus were isolated and genome sequenced by biochemical methods and 16S rRNA gene. Quantitative and qualitative screening methods were used to isolate and detect biosurfactant production. For the aim of this study, 61 and 63 (Bacillus subtilis subsp. Inaquosorum) were selected. Then, hemolytic activity, biomass amount, surfactant production, and reduction of surface tension in Minimal Salt Medium containing Fe0 and Fe3+ nanoparticles were examined after 48, 72, and 96 h of culture. Strain 61 was the best bacterium and Fe3+ was the best nanoparticle. The results were compared with the results of non‐nanoparticle bioreactor. The results showed the amount of biomass, surfactin, and surface tension decrease, 72 h after growth in 61 strain containing Fe3+ reached the highest values. Surfactin from strain 61 culture in the Fe3+nanoparticle bioreactor after 72 h of growth showed higher production than the same strain culture after 72 h without Fe3+, if continuing the research, this strain can be commercialized in the future.

Effect of yeast extract supplementation on halotolerant biosurfactant production kinetics coupled with degradation of petroleum crude oil by Acinetobacter baumannii OCB1 in marine environment

The pressing priority is to uncover environmentally secure techniques for abolition of oil spills suited to Indian marine conditions as increase in fuel consumption and demand has resulted in enhanced petroleum crude oil (PCO) transfer via sea route. Acinetobacter baumannii OCB1, isolated from petroleum refinery effluent, when grown in sea water supplemented with PCO (1.0% v/v) and glucose (1.0 g/L) yielded high degradation of C8 hydrocarbons (69.69%). On adding yeast extract (0.05 g/L) it degraded C8–C14 hydrocarbons (3.55–17.48%). Degradation was facilitated by lipopeptide biosurfactant (BS) having needle like surface as depicted by LCMS and FESEM analysis. Yield was higher in presence of yeast extract while there was no significant difference in activity. BS showed excellent stability at wide range of pH, temperature, salinity and high emulsification of petroleum-based oils. BS production modelled by Leudeking Piret model was growth associated and mixed growth associated without and with yeast extract respectively.

Bioremediation of 2,4-Diaminotoluene in Aqueous Solution Enhanced by Lipopeptide Biosurfactant Production from Bacterial Strains

AbstractThis research concentrated on the isolation and preparation of biosurfactant-producing bacterial strains for the degradation of aromatic amine compound 2,4-diaminotoluene (2,4-DAT). Three s...

Revealing the Efficacy of Thermostable Biosurfactant in Heavy Metal Bioremediation and Surface Treatment in Vegetables.

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic molecules which showed application in the food, medical, and cosmetics industries and in bioremediation. In this study, a marine sponge-associated bacteria (MSI 54) was identified as a biosurfactant producer which showed high emulsification and surface tension-reducing property. The isolate MSI 54 was identified as Bacillus sp. and the biosurfactant was chemically characterized as a lipopeptide analog based on the spectral data including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The MSI 54 lipopeptide biosurfactant was an anionic molecule which showed high affinity toward cationic heavy metals including Pb, Hg, Mn, and Cd. The heavy metal bioremediation efficacy of the biosurfactant was evaluated using atomic absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis. When MSI 54 lipopeptide biosurfactant was added to heavy metals, this resulted in a white co-precipitate of the metal–biosurfactant complex. The heavy metal remediation efficacy of the biosurfactant at a 2.0 × critical micelle concentration (CMC) showed removal of 75.5% Hg, 97.73% Pb, 89.5% Mn, and 99.93% Cd, respectively, in 1,000 ppm of the respective metal solution. The surface treatment of farm fresh cabbage, carrot, and lettuce with 2.0 × CMC of the lipopeptide showed effective removal of the surface heavy metal contaminants.

In Vitro and Ex Vivo Antibiofilm Activity of a Lipopeptide Biosurfactant Produced by the Entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana Strain against Microsporum canis.

Microsporum canis is one of the most important dermatophyte causing tinea corporis and tinea capitis and its biofilm-form has a poor therapeutic response. The biosurfactant production by entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) has not been reported yet. The study aimed to investigate the potential usage of the EPF biosurfactant in the eradication of an ex vivo biofilm of Microsporum canis (M. canis) for the first time. An entomopathogenic fungus was isolated from the fungal-infected Vespa orientalis wasp and identified as Beauveria bassiana (MN173375). Chemical characterization revealed the lipopeptide nature of the B. bassiana biosurfactant (BBLP). Efficient antifungal and antibiofilm activities of BBLP against M. canis in vitro were detected. An ex vivo hair model was used to investigate the efficiency of BBLP against M. canis biofilm, in a scenario close to the in vivo conditions. M. canis ex vivo biofilm eradication was confirmed in stereo, scanning electron, and fluorescent images. Also, the ex vivo biofilm was less susceptible to BBLP treatment compared to its in vitro counterpart. In conclusion, BBLP showed significant eradication to the M. canis ex vivo biofilm and open horizons to use bio-resource derived from EPF in controlling microbial biofilm and holding great promise for combating recalcitrant dermatophytosis.

Biotechnological Applications of Paenibacillus sp. D9 Lipopeptide Biosurfactant Produced in Low-cost Substrates.

The present study assesses the Paenibacillus sp. D9 lipopeptide biosurfactant synthesis in cheap substrates including functional properties and applicability for varying biotechnological processes. Different experimental setups were made for oil dispersion, heavy metals removals from contaminated environments, and washing performance. The study revealed surface tension activities of 31.7-32.7mN/m, and maximum biosurfactant yield of more than 8g/L. Removals of 85.90%, 98.68%, 99.97%, 63.28%, 99.93%, and 94.22% were obtained for Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Ni, and Zn, respectively from acid mine effluents. In comparison with chemical surfactants, there was pronounced removal of heavy metals from wastewater, contaminated sands, and vegetable matter, as well as improved oil dispersing activity. A comparative study revealed that biosurfactant was more efficient (> 60%) for removal of tomato sauce and coffee stains than chemical surfactants (< 50%). Thus, lipopeptide biosurfactants are green biomolecules reducing hazards and contaminations within the environment. The future use of this lipopeptide biosurfactant is greatly promising in biotechnology.