Fast fabrication of reusable polyethersulfone microbial biosensors through biocompatible phase separation

In biosensors fabrication, entrapment in polymeric matrices allows efficient immobilization of the biorecognition elements without compromising their structure and activity. When considering living cells, the biocompatibility of both the matrix and the polymerization procedure are additional critica...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Vigués Frantzen, Núria, Pujol Vila, F, Macanás de Benito, Jorge|||0000-0003-2346-3297, Muñoz Tapia, Maria, Muñoz Berbel, F. Xavier, Mas Gordi, Jordi
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/175628
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/175628
https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2019.120192
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Biosensors
Biopolymers
Polymers
Thermoplastics
Bacterial immobilization
Phase separation
Polyethersulfone
Microbial biosensor
Respirometry
Toxicity assessment
Biopolímers
Polímers
Respirometria
Termoplàstics
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria química
Descripción
Sumario:In biosensors fabrication, entrapment in polymeric matrices allows efficient immobilization of the biorecognition elements without compromising their structure and activity. When considering living cells, the biocompatibility of both the matrix and the polymerization procedure are additional critical factors. Bio-polymeric gels (e.g. alginate) are biocompatible and polymerize under mild conditions, but they have poor stability. Most synthetic polymers (e.g. PVA), on the other hand, present improved stability at the expense of complex protocols involving chemical/physical treatments that decrease their biological compatibility. In an attempt to explore new solutions to this problem we have developed a procedure for the immobilization of bacterial cells in polyethersulfone (PES) using phase separation. The technology has been tested successfully in the construction of a bacterial biosensor for toxicity assessment. Biosensors were coated with a 300 μm bacteria-containing PES membrane, using non-solvent induced phase separation (membrane thickness≈300 μm). With this method, up to 2.3×106 cells were immobilized in the electrode surface with an entrapment efficiency of 8.2%, without compromising cell integrity or viability. Biosensing was performed electrochemically through ferricyanide respirometry, with metabolically-active entrapped bacteria reducing ferricyanide in the presence of glucose. PES biosensors showed good stability and reusability during dry frozen storage for up to 1 month. The analytical performance of the sensors was assessed carrying out a toxicity assay in which 3,5-dichlorophenol (DCP) was used as a model toxic compound. The biosensor provided a concentration-dependent response to DCP with half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 9.2 ppm, well in agreement with reported values. This entrapment methodology is susceptible of mass production and allows easy and repetitive production of robust and sensitive bacterial biosensors