| dc.description.abstract | Microorganisms are widely used in life. For example, decomposing organic waste in sewage, producing alcohol by anaerobic fermentation, besides, bacteria can also be used in cancer treatment called “bacteria cancer therapy”. However, there are always some factors which will threaten their survival. Antiseptics exist in water, oxygen exist in the media of anaerobic bacteria, lysozyme and antibiotics in patients. These conditions all make microorganisms deactivate. Therefore, scientists research on combining organic or inorganic materials with cells in order to enhance their adaptability toward environmental stress.
Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have variable pore properties, specific surface area, chemical stability. Scientists can adjust these properties by changing the precursors to fit their purpose. Therefore, the development of biocomposites by combinig Metal-organic frameworks and living systems is rapidly emerging.
In this study, Escherichia coli (E. coli) cell was encapsulated into single crystal zeolitic imidazolate framework-90 (ZIF-90). Being totally encapsulated by ZIF-90, E. coli gains the ability to survive the treatment of antibiotics. E. coli can still regrowth after removing the material. On the other hand, E. coli coated with nano-size ZIF-8 particles was damaged by antibiotics due to the defects of the coating layer. We also noticed the zeta potential differences between different synthetic conditions impact on the crystalline morphology. By studying whether the encapsulated E. coli will trigger the immunoreaction or not, we saw the feasibility of applying it to cancer therapy and hope we can apply this technic in encapsulating eukaryote like yeast in the future. | en_US |