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    Plasma-Treated Water Affects Listeria monocytogenes Vitality and Biofilm Structure
    (Lausanne : Frontiers Media, 2021) Handorf, Oliver; Pauker, Viktoria Isabella; Weihe, Thomas; Schäfer, Jan; Freund, Eric; Schnabel, Uta; Bekeschus, Sander; Riedel, Katharina; Ehlbeck, Jörg
    Background: Plasma-generated compounds (PGCs) such as plasma-processed air (PPA) or plasma-treated water (PTW) offer an increasingly important alternative for the control of microorganisms in hard-to-reach areas found in several industrial applications including the food industry. To this end, we studied the antimicrobial capacity of PTW on the vitality and biofilm formation of Listeria monocytogenes, a common foodborne pathogen. Results: Using a microwave plasma (MidiPLexc), 10 ml of deionized water was treated for 100, 300, and 900 s (pre-treatment time), after which the bacterial biofilm was exposed to the PTW for 1, 3, and 5 min (post-treatment time) for each pre-treatment time, separately. Colony-forming units (CFU) were significantly reduced by 4.7 log10 ± 0.29 log10, as well as the metabolic activity decreased by 47.9 ± 9.47% and the cell vitality by 69.5 ± 2.1%, compared to the control biofilms. LIVE/DEAD staining and fluorescence microscopy showed a positive correlation between treatment and incubation times, as well as reduction in vitality. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicated changes in the structure quality of the bacterial biofilm. Conclusion: These results indicate a promising antimicrobial impact of plasma-treated water on Listeria monocytogenes, which may lead to more targeted applications of plasma decontamination in the food industry in the future.
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    Enhancement of Intracellular Calcium Ion Mobilization by Moderately but Not Highly Positive Material Surface Charges
    (Lausanne : Frontiers Media, 2020) Gruening, Martina; Neuber, Sven; Nestler, Peter; Lehnfeld, Jutta; Dubs, Manuela; Fricke, Katja; Schnabelrauch, Matthias; Helm, Christiane A.; Müller, Rainer; Staehlke, Susanne; Nebe, J. Barbara
    Electrostatic forces at the cell interface affect the nature of cell adhesion and function; but there is still limited knowledge about the impact of positive or negative surface charges on cell-material interactions in regenerative medicine. Titanium surfaces with a variety of zeta potentials between −90 mV and +50 mV were generated by functionalizing them with amino polymers, extracellular matrix proteins/peptide motifs and polyelectrolyte multilayers. A significant enhancement of intracellular calcium mobilization was achieved on surfaces with a moderately positive (+1 to +10 mV) compared with a negative zeta potential (−90 to −3 mV). Dramatic losses of cell activity (membrane integrity, viability, proliferation, calcium mobilization) were observed on surfaces with a highly positive zeta potential (+50 mV). This systematic study indicates that cells do not prefer positive charges in general, merely moderately positive ones. The cell behavior of MG-63s could be correlated with the materials’ zeta potential; but not with water contact angle or surface free energy. Our findings present new insights and provide an essential knowledge for future applications in dental and orthopedic surgery. © Copyright © 2020 Gruening, Neuber, Nestler, Lehnfeld, Dubs, Fricke, Schnabelrauch, Helm, Müller, Staehlke and Nebe.