Sustainable production of biosurfactants with applications for medicine and environmental remediation

• Grant number: 13/20570-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: February 01, 2014 - January 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Augusto Etchegaray Júnior
• Grantee: Augusto Etchegaray Júnior
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Química. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-CAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Maria Teresa Machini ; Renata Kelly Mendes Valente

Abstract

Surfactins, biosurfactants with high surface activity that have applications in agriculture, medicine and environmental remediation, are produced by Bacillus subtilis. However, the costs of their production are very high. Alternatively one could: (i) use cheaper substrates in the growth medium; (ii) add value to microbial extracts and biomass; (iii) synthesize surfactin. Since surfactin is a peptide, it could be synthesized by the solid-phase method (SPPS). However, there are only two publications describing the synthesis of these lipopeptides by SPPS, but both use large quantities of volatile solvents, therefore causing environmental impact. Surfactins are composed by a 7 amino acid peptide (with LLDLLDL configuration), linked to a beta-hydroxylated fatty acid (of 13 to 15 carbons), thus forming a cycle that links the C-terminal carboxyl group of the peptide and 3-hydroxyl of the fatty acid. Considering that the presence of D-amino acids within the structure be more relevant for its biological activity rather than for its surfactant properties, and knowing that linear surfactins present low hemolytic activity, the aims of this proposal are: (i) to reduce the costs of surfactin production by growing B. subtilis on agroindustrial residues and by adding value to the extract, inducing the coproduction of biosurfactants and enzymes such as alpha-amylases, lipases and cellulases; (ii) to use its biomass for biodiesel production and/or for environmental remediation studies; (iii) to present an alternative for the synthesis of linear surfactins, based on traditional or microwave-assisted SPPS protocols that employ less toxic solvents, such as dimethylsulfoxide, and cheaper reagents (L-amino acids); (iv) to evaluate the potential of the produced lipopeptides (natural and synthetic) to inhibit the growth and adhesion of microorganisms on solid surfaces and to clean up the environment. (AU)

Scientific publications

(10)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MENDES, RENATA K.; DANTAS, MARCOS V. C.; NOGUEIRA, ALESSANDRA B.; ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO; FILGUEIRAS, PAULO R.; POPPI, RONEI J.. Simultaneous Determination of Different Phenolic Compounds Using Electrochemical Biosensor and Multivariate Calibration. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, v. 29, n. 3, p. 482-489, MAR 2018. (13/20570-6)

ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO; COUTTE, FRANCOIS; CHATAIGNE, GABRIELLE; BECHET, MAX; DOS SANTOS, RAMON H. Z.; LECLERE, VALERIE; JACQUES, PHILIPPE. Production of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens OG and its metabolites in renewable media: valorisation for biodiesel production and p-xylene decontamination. Canadian Journal of Microbiology, v. 63, n. 1, p. 46-60, JAN 2017. (13/20570-6, 11/13174-1)

GOMES, WYLLERSON EVARISTO; CORREA, AMANDA ARTHUZO; BEATTO, THAINA GODOY; ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO; NOGUEIRA, ALESSANDRA BORIN; MENDES, RENATA KELLY. Removal of p-cresol using wash waters from lipopeptide production. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY, SEP 2021. (13/20570-6, 18/16501-2)

BUCCI, ANDREIA R.; MARCELINO, LARISSA; MENDES, RENATA K.; ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO. The antimicrobial and antiadhesion activities of micellar solutions of surfactin, CTAB and CPCl with terpinen-4-ol: applications to control oral pathogens. WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, v. 34, n. 6, JUN 2018. (13/20570-6)

RENATA K. MENDES; BEATRIZ S. ARRUDA; ELIZABETH F. DE SOUZA; ALESSANDRA B. NOGUEIRA; OMAR TESCHKE; LUIZ O. BONUGLI; AUGUSTO ETCHEGARAY. Determination of Chlorophenol in Environmental Samples Using a Voltammetric Biosensor Based on Hybrid Nanocomposite. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, v. 28, n. 7, p. 1212-1219, 2017-07-00. (13/20570-6, 14/13763-5)

HEUSON, EGON; ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO; FILIPE, STEPHANIE L.; BERETTA, DANIEL; CHEVALIER, MICKAEL; PHALIP, VINCENT; COUTTE, FRANCOIS. Screening of Lipopeptide-Producing Strains of Bacillus sp. Using a New Automated and Sensitive Fluorescence Detection Method. Biotechnology Journal, v. 14, n. 4, APR 2019. (13/20570-6, 17/13330-0)

DE CARVALHO SILVEIRA, THAIS; GOMES, WYLLERSON EVARISTO; TONON, GIOVANA CHINAGLIA; BEATTO, THAINA GODOY; SPOGIS, NICOLAS; CUNHA, LUIZ HENRIQUE DALLAN; LATTARO, BRUNO PERA; NOGUEIRA, ALESSANDRA BORIN; MENDES, RENATA KELLY; ALVARENGA, DANILLO OLIVEIRA; et al. Residual biomass from surfactin production is a source of arginase and adsorbed surfactin that is useful for environmental remediation. WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY, v. 37, n. 7, JUL 2021. (13/20570-6)

LIMA, THAINA A.; ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO; MACHINI, M. TERESA. Design, synthesis and valued properties of surfactin oversimplified analogues. Amino Acids, v. 52, n. 1, p. 25-33, JAN 2020. (13/20570-6, 14/06784-6, 15/14360-4)

MENDES, RENATA K.; DANTAS, MARCOS V. C.; NOGUEIRA, ALESSANDRA B.; ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO; FILGUEIRAS, PAULO R.; POPPI, RONEI J.. Simultaneous Determination of Different Phenolic Compounds Using Electrochemical Biosensor and Multivariate Calibration. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society, v. 29, n. 3, p. 8-pg., 2018-03-01. (13/20570-6)

NAVARRO, KAMILY M.; SILVA, JOCIMARA C.; OSSICK, MARINA VIAN; NOGUEIRA, ALESSANDRA B.; ETCHEGARAY, AUGUSTO; MENDES, RENATA K.. Low-Cost Electrochemical Determination of Acrylamide in Processed Food Using a Hemoglobin - Iron Magnetic Nanoparticle - Chitosan Modified Carbon Paste Electrode. Analytical Letters, v. 54, n. 7, JUL 2020. (13/20570-6)