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Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2020Microbial metabolites have significant impacts on our lives from providing valuable compounds for nutrition to agriculture and healthcare. Ever-growing demand for these... (Review)
Review
Microbial metabolites have significant impacts on our lives from providing valuable compounds for nutrition to agriculture and healthcare. Ever-growing demand for these natural compounds has led to the need for smart and efficient production techniques. Ultrasound is a multi-applicable technology widely exploited in a range of industries such as chemical, medical, biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and food processes. Depending on the type of ultrasound employed, it can be used to either monitor or drive fermentation processes. Ultrasonication can improve bioproduct productivity via intensifying the performance of living organisms. Controlled ultrasonication can influence the metabolites' biosynthesis efficiency and growth rates by improvement of cell permeability as well as mass transfer and nutrient uptake rates through cell membranes. This review contains a summarized description about suitable microbial metabolites and the applications of ultrasound technique for enhancement of the production of these metabolites as well as the associated downstream processing.
Topics: Anti-Infective Agents; Biotechnology; Fermentation; Microbiological Techniques; Sonication; Ultrasonic Waves
PubMed: 33238482
DOI: 10.3390/molecules25225473 -
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry Aug 2021In this study, the effects of sonication and temperature-cycled storage on the structural properties and resistant starch content of high-amylose corn starch were...
In this study, the effects of sonication and temperature-cycled storage on the structural properties and resistant starch content of high-amylose corn starch were investigated. Sonication induced a partial depolymerization of the molecular structures of amylopectin and amylose. Sonication treatment induced the appropriate structural changes for retrogradation. Although the relative crystallinity of sonicated starch was lower than that of non-sonicated starch, sonicated starch after retrogradation showed much higher relative crystallinity than non-sonicated starch. Regardless of sonication treatment, temperature-cycled storage resulted in a higher degree of retrogradation than isothermal storage, but the rate of retrogradation was greater in sonicated starch than in non-sonicated starch, as supported by retrogradation enthalpy, the Avrami constant, and relative crystallinity. The highly developed crystalline structure in sonicated starches due to retrogradation was reflected by the large amount of resistant starch.
Topics: Amylose; Kinetics; Sonication; Temperature
PubMed: 34182316
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2021.105650 -
Heart Rhythm Jun 2022Device-related infection (DRI) is a severe complication of treatment with cardiac implantable electronic devices. Identification of the causative pathogen is essential...
BACKGROUND
Device-related infection (DRI) is a severe complication of treatment with cardiac implantable electronic devices. Identification of the causative pathogen is essential for optimal treatment, but conventional methods often are inadequate.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to improve microbiological diagnosis in DRI using sonication and next-generation sequencing analysis. The primary objective was identification of causative pathogens. The secondary objective was estimation of the sensitivity of different microbiological methods in detecting the causative pathogen.
METHODS
Consecutive patients with clinical signs of DRI between October 2016 and January 2019 from 3 tertiary centers in Denmark were included in the study. Patients underwent a diagnostic approach, including blood cultures and perioperative collection of microbiological samples (pocket swab, pocket tissue biopsies, generator, and leads). Conventional culturing was performed, and device components were sonicated and examined with an amplicon-based metagenomic analysis using next-generation sequencing. The results were compared with a reference standard-identified causative pathogen.
RESULTS
In 110 patients with clinical signs of pocket (n = 50) or systemic DRI (n = 60), we collected 109 pocket swabs, 220 pocket tissue biopsies, 106 generators, 235 leads, and a minimum 1 set of blood cultures from 102 patients. Combining all findings, we identified the causative pathogen in 95% of cases, irrespective of DRI type. The usability of each microbiological method differed between DRI types. In pocket DRI, next-generation sequencing analysis of generators achieved sensitivity of 90%. For systemic DRI, blood cultures reached sensitivity of 93%.
CONCLUSION
Using a strategy including sonication and next-generation sequencing, we identified the causative pathogen in 95% of DRI. Sensitivity of microbiological methods differed according to the type of DRI.
Topics: Defibrillators, Implantable; Electronics; Heart Diseases; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Pacemaker, Artificial; Prosthesis-Related Infections; Sonication
PubMed: 35124230
DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2022.01.039 -
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry Jul 2020In this review, the recent applications of power ultrasound technology in improving the functional properties and biological activities of biopolymers are reviewed. The... (Review)
Review
In this review, the recent applications of power ultrasound technology in improving the functional properties and biological activities of biopolymers are reviewed. The basic principles of ultrasonic technology are briefly introduced, and its main effects on gelling, structural, textural, emulsifying, rheological properties, solubility, thermal stability, foaming ability and foaming stability and biological activity are illustrated with examples reviewing the latest published research papers. Many positive effects of ultrasound treatment on these functional properties of biopolymers have been confirmed. However, the effectiveness of power ultrasound in improving biopolymers properties depends on a variety of factors, including frequency, intensity, duration, system temperature, and intrinsic properties of biopolymers such as macromolecular structure. In order to obtain the desired outcomes, it is best to apply optimized ultrasound processing parameters and use the best conditions in terms of frequency, amplitude, temperature, time, pH, concentration and ionic strength related to the inherent characteristics of each biopolymer. This will help employ the full potential of ultrasound technology for generating innovative biopolymers functionalities for various applications such as food, pharmaceuticals, and other industries.
Topics: Biopolymers; Biotechnology; Elasticity; Gels; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Molecular Structure; Rheology; Solubility; Sonication; Surface Properties; Temperature
PubMed: 32172150
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2020.105057 -
ACS Synthetic Biology Oct 2023Cell lysis─by sonication or bead beating, for example─is a key step in preparing extracts for cell-free expression systems. To create high protein-production...
Cell lysis─by sonication or bead beating, for example─is a key step in preparing extracts for cell-free expression systems. To create high protein-production capacity extracts, standard practice is to lyse cells sufficiently to thoroughly disrupt the membrane and thus extract expression machinery but without degrading that machinery. Here, we investigate the impact of different sonication energy inputs on the protein-production capacity of extracts. While the existence of operator-specific optimal sonication energy inputs is widely known, our findings show that the sonication energy input that yields maximal protein output from a given expression template may depend on plasmid concentration, transcriptional and translational features (e.g., promoter), and other expression vector components (e.g., origin of replication). These results indicate that sonication protocols cannot be standardized to a single optimum, suggest strategies for improving protein yields, and more broadly highlight the need for better metrics and protocols for characterizing cell extracts.
Topics: Escherichia coli; Sonication; Plasmids
PubMed: 37725792
DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00312 -
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry Jan 2021The present work investigated the effects of sonication at different amplitudes and durations on the in vitro digestibility of buckwheat protein isolates (BPIs). The...
The present work investigated the effects of sonication at different amplitudes and durations on the in vitro digestibility of buckwheat protein isolates (BPIs). The conformation, particle size and microstructures of the BPIs were also studied to explicate the possible mechanisms of the sonication-induced changes. The results showed that sonication conditions of 20 kHz, pulsed on-time 10 s, off-time 5 s, amplitude of 60% and duration of 10 min (SA6T10) improved the digestibility of BPIs from 41.4% (control) to 58.2%. The tertiary structure analysis showed that sonication exposed the hydrophobic core buried inside the protein molecules and broke the intramolecular crosslinks, based on the increase in the surface hydrophobicity and intrinsic fluorescence and the decrease in the disulphide content. The secondary structure analysis showed that SA6T10 decreased the content of β-turn and β-sheet by 40.9% and 22.4%, respectively, and increased the content of anti-parallel β-sheet, random coil, and α-helix by 40.9%, 30.6%, and 25.5%, respectively. The particle size of the control BPIs (427.7 ± 76.7 nm) increased to 2130.8 ± 356.2 nm in the SA6T10 sonicated sample with a corresponding decrease in the polydispersity index from 0.97 ± 0.04 to 0.51 ± 0.13. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy indicated that sonication broke the macroparticles into smaller fragments and changed the surface state of the proteins. Taken together, sonication has proven to be a promising approach for improving the digestibility of buckwheat proteins, which can be explored as a source of plant-based alternative protein for food applications.
Topics: Fagopyrum; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; In Vitro Techniques; Plant Proteins; Protein Conformation; Sonication
PubMed: 32971393
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2020.105348 -
Fluids and Barriers of the CNS Sep 2022Systemic drug delivery to the central nervous system is limited by presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Low intensity focused ultrasound (LiFUS) is a non-invasive...
BACKGROUND
Systemic drug delivery to the central nervous system is limited by presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Low intensity focused ultrasound (LiFUS) is a non-invasive technique to disrupt the BBB, though there is a lack of understanding of the relationship between LiFUS parameters, such as cavitation dose, time of sonication, microbubble dose, and the time course and magnitude of BBB disruption. Discrepancies in these data arise from experimentation with modified, clinically untranslatable transducers and inconsistent parameters for sonication. In this report, we characterize microbubble and cavitation doses as LiFUS variables as they pertain to the time course and size of BBB opening with a clinical Insightec FUS system.
METHODS
Female Nu/Nu athymic mice were exposed to LiFUS using the ExAblate Neuro system (v7.4, Insightec, Haifa, Israel) following target verification with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Microbubble and cavitation doses ranged from 4-400 μL/kg, and 0.1-1.5 cavitation dose, respectively. The time course and magnitude of BBB opening was evaluated using fluorescent tracers, ranging in size from 105-10,000 Da, administered intravenously at different times pre- or post-LiFUS. Quantitative autoradiography and fluorescence microscopy were used to quantify tracer accumulation in brain.
RESULTS
We observed a microbubble and cavitation dose dependent increase in tracer uptake within brain after LiFUS. Tracer accumulation was size dependent, with C-AIB (100 Da) accumulating to a greater degree than larger markers (~ 625 Da-10 kDa). Our data suggest opening of the BBB via LiFUS is time dependent and biphasic. Accumulation of solutes was highest when administered prior to LiFUS mediated disruption (2-fivefold increases), but was also significantly elevated at 6 h post treatment for both C-AIB and Texas Red.
CONCLUSION
The magnitude of LiFUS mediated BBB opening correlates with concentration of microbubbles, cavitation dose as well as time of tracer administration post-sonication. These data help define the window of maximal BBB opening and applicable sonication parameters on a clinically translatable and commercially available FUS system that can be used to improve passive permeability and accumulation of therapeutics targeting the brain.
Topics: Animals; Blood-Brain Barrier; Brain; Drug Delivery Systems; Female; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mice; Microbubbles; Permeability; Sonication
PubMed: 36076213
DOI: 10.1186/s12987-022-00369-1 -
International Journal of Nanomedicine 2013Ultrasound is an important local stimulus for triggering drug release at the target tissue. Ultrasound-responsive drug delivery systems (URDDS) have become an important... (Review)
Review
Ultrasound is an important local stimulus for triggering drug release at the target tissue. Ultrasound-responsive drug delivery systems (URDDS) have become an important research focus in targeted therapy. URDDS include many different formulations, such as microbubbles, nanobubbles, nanodroplets, liposomes, emulsions, and micelles. Drugs that can be loaded into URDDS include small molecules, biomacromolecules, and inorganic substances. Fields of clinical application include anticancer therapy, treatment of ischemic myocardium, induction of an immune response, cartilage tissue engineering, transdermal drug delivery, treatment of Huntington's disease, thrombolysis, and disruption of the blood-brain barrier. This review focuses on recent advances in URDDS, and discusses their formulations, clinical application, and problems, as well as a perspective on their potential use in the future.
Topics: Animals; Drug Delivery Systems; Humans; Nanomedicine; Sonication; Ultrasonics; Ultrasonography, Interventional
PubMed: 23637531
DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S43589 -
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry Jan 2021In the present work, chitin suspensions after enzymolysis and sonoenzymolysis were taken as adsorbents to evaluate the adsorption properties of Congo red (CR) dyes....
In the present work, chitin suspensions after enzymolysis and sonoenzymolysis were taken as adsorbents to evaluate the adsorption properties of Congo red (CR) dyes. Compared with untreated chitin suspension, the CR adsorption performance was significantly improved after enzymolysis and even more after sonoenzymolysis. According to different adsorption kinetic and isotherm models, Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second order model were more reliable to describe the adsorption process of CR onto different chitin samples and demonstrated a monolayer and favorable physisorption process. What's more, negative values of ΔG (Gibbs free energy change) and the shifts to higher negative values with the temperature increasing from adsorption thermodynamic study proved a spontaneous CR adsorption process. The structural characterization before and after adsorption further verified the physical adsorption between chitin and CR, and a larger specific area and higher porosity of chitin suspension was obtained after sonoenzymolysis with more available active sites.
Topics: Adsorption; Chitin; Congo Red; Enzymes; Porosity; Proteolysis; Sonication; Thermodynamics
PubMed: 32961437
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2020.105327 -
Ultrasonics Sonochemistry Sep 2007The positive influence of ultrasound (US) on crystallization processes is shown by the dramatic reduction of the induction period, supersaturation conditions and... (Review)
Review
The positive influence of ultrasound (US) on crystallization processes is shown by the dramatic reduction of the induction period, supersaturation conditions and metastable zone width. Manipulation of this influence can be achieved by changing US-related variables such as frequency, intensity, power and even geometrical characteristics of the ultrasonic device (e.g. horn type size). The volume of the sonicated solution and irradiation time are also variables to be optimized in a case-by-case basis as the mechanisms of US action on crystallization remain to be established. Nevertheless, the results obtained so far make foreseeable that crystal size distribution, and even crystal shape, can be 'tailored' by appropriate selection of the sonication conditions.
Topics: Colloids; Computer Simulation; Crystallization; Models, Chemical; Models, Molecular; Sonication
PubMed: 17254828
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2006.12.004