Biomolecules from Natural Sources

Kuyukina et al. (2016) described the production of trehalose lipid from Rhodococcus ruber IEGM 231 using 3% (v/v) n -hexadecane at 160 rpm, 28°C for 48 h, and the antiadhesive and biofilm-preventing effects against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains. Additionally, interesting anti-adhesive effects were obtained using the trehalose lipid at 10 mg L -1against actively growing B. subtilis ATCC 6613, Corynebacterium glutamicum IEGM 1861, E. coli K-12, Micrococcus luteus IEGM 401, and Pseudomonas fluorescence NCIMB 9046 cells with different percentages of inhibition (30–76%) (Kuyukina et al. 2016). Moreover, these authors suggested that anti-adhesive properties were dependent on hydrophobicity/surface characteristics of the strains tested and their physiological stage and not strongly dependent upon the concentration of trehalose lipid (Kuyukina et al. 2016).

A trehalose lipid biosurfactant secreted by Rhodococcus fascians BD8 was investigated as an anti-microbial and anti-adhesive against pathogenic bacteria and Candida albicans to polystyrene, silicone, and glass surfaces (Janek et al. 2018). Up to 95% prevention of Candida albicans adhesion to a polystyrene surface was achieved with 0.5 mg mL -1trehalose lipid. The authors (Janek et al. 2018) concluded that the exploration of trehalose lipid interaction with medical surfaces using quantum chemical calculations and due to its surface tension properties, trehalose lipids are interesting as surface coating agent against microbial colonization of various surfaces (e.g., implants and urethral catheters).

Glycolipid biosurfactants are surface-active natural compounds produced by several microorganisms with biological activities and potential applications in environmental, medical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries.

Microbial glycolipid biosurfactants have many advantages over chemically synthesized surfactants, such as lower toxicity, they are environmentally friendly, have similar surface activity. Downstream processing is probably the most expensive process in the production of microbial glycolipids. To obtain pure glycolipids from production medium requires several operations and purification steps, with extraction being still the most commonly used.

The use of economically feasible renewable substrates, the optimization of growth and production conditions and efficient multi-step downstream processing will enhance the manufacturing and application of glycolipids, and be more profitable.

Novel recombinant varieties, especially beyond the development of novel recombinant microorganism hyperproducers may potentially bring the required development in these biosurfactant production process.

With ever increasing reports regarding the therapeutic and biomedical properties of glycolipids (e.g. trehalose lipids) as biosurfactants, these molecules will surpass the realm of surfactants and might emerge as highly valued molecules with relevance to health in the near future. The future application of glycolipids (e.g. trehalose lipids) in drugs or medicines will make it really interesting for industry. Therefore, future glycolipid research should be focused on making the production process economical with the potential use of hyperproducers in addition to novel cost-effective bioprocesses.

In the study of trehalose lipids, future work should be focussed on the use of inexpensive (when adequate) carbon substrates, optimization of C/N and enviromental conditions, leading to the highest yields, combined with cost effective downstream processing methods. A large group of biosurfactant producers belonging to the generas Rhodococus , Gordonia or Torulopsis have not been exploited extensively for the economical production of trealose lipids.

Additionally there is the possibility of further chemical modifications of trehalose lipids, to obtain novel analogues with diverse and improved properties.

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