Synthesis of Bioactive Microcapsules Using a Microfluidic Device

Sensors

Byeong Il Kim³  Soon Woo Jeong³  Kyoung G. Lee³  Tae Jung Park⁴  Jung Youn Park¹  Jae Jun Song²  Seok Jae Lee³ 

[1] Biotechnology Research Division, National Fisheries Research & Development Institute (NFRDI), 408-1 Sirang-ri, Gijang, Busan 619-705, Korea; E-Mail:;Microbe-based Fusion Technology Research Center, KRIBB, 1404 Sinjeong-dong, Jeongeup, Jeonbuk 580-185, Korea; E-Mail:;Center for Nanobio Integration & Convergence Engineering (NICE), National Nanofab Center, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-806, Korea; E-Mails:;Department of Chemistry, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756, Korea; E-Mail:

关键词: microcapsulation;    NIPAM;    hydrogel;    microfluidic device;    spore;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s120810136

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Bioactive microcapsules containing Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) spores were generated by a combination of a hydro gel, microfluidic device and chemical polymerization method. As a proof-of-principle, we used BT spores displaying enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) on the spore surface to spatially direct the EGFP-presenting spores within microcapsules. BT spore-encapsulated microdroplets of uniform size and shape are prepared through a flow-focusing method in a microfluidic device and converted into microcapsules through hydrogel polymerization. The size of microdroplets can be controlled by changing both the dispersion and continuous flow rate. Poly(N-isoproplyacrylamide) (PNIPAM), known as a hydrogel material, was employed as a biocompatible material for the encapsulation of BT spores and long-term storage and outstanding stability. Due to these unique properties of PNIPAM, the nutrients from Luria-Bertani complex medium diffused into the microcapsules and the microencapsulated spores germinated into vegetative cells under adequate environmental conditions. These results suggest that there is no limitation of transferring low-molecular-weight-substrates through the PNIPAM structures, and the viability of microencapsulated spores was confirmed by the culture of vegetative cells after the germinations. This microfluidic-based microencapsulation methodology provides a unique way of synthesizing bioactive microcapsules in a one-step process. This microfluidic-based strategy would be potentially suitable to produce microcapsules of various microbial spores for on-site biosensor analysis.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.