Synthesis of bioactive microcapsules using a microfluidic device

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Title
Synthesis of bioactive microcapsules using a microfluidic device
Author(s)
B I Kim; S W Jeong; K G Lee; T J Park; J Y Park; Jae Jun Song; S J Lee; C S Lee
Bibliographic Citation
Sensors, vol. 12, no. 8, pp. 10136-10147
Publication Year
2012
Abstract
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.
Keyword
HydrogelMicrocapsulationMicrofluidic deviceNIPAMSpore
ISSN
1424-8220
Publisher
MDPI
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/s120810136
Type
Article
Appears in Collections:
Division of Bio Technology Innovation > SME Support Center > 1. Journal Articles
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