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. 2020 Aug 23;21(17):6068.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21176068.

Exploring Antifouling Activity of Biosurfactants Producing Marine Bacteria Isolated from Gulf of California

Monserrat Alemán-Vega  1 , Ilse Sánchez-Lozano  1 , Claudia J Hernández-Guerrero  1 , Claire Hellio  2 , Erika T Quintana  3
Affiliations

Exploring Antifouling Activity of Biosurfactants Producing Marine Bacteria Isolated from Gulf of California

Monserrat Alemán-Vega et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Biofouling causes major problems and economic losses to marine and shipping industries. In the search for new antifouling agents, marine bacteria with biosurfactants production capability can be an excellent option, due to the amphipathic surface-active characteristic that confers antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifouling activity of biosurfactants producing marine bacteria from the Gulf of California. The cell free culture supernatant (CFCS) of Bacillus niabensis (S-69), Ralstonia sp. (S-74) (isolated from marine sediment) and of B. niabensis (My-30) (bacteria associated to the sponge Mycale ramulosa) were screened for production of biosurfactants (using hemolysis and drop collapse test, oil displacement and emulsifying activity). The toxicity and antifouling activity were evaluated against biofoulers (bacteria forming biofilm and macrofoulers) both in laboratory and field assays. The results indicate that all bacteria were biosurfactant producers, but the higher capability was shown by B. niabensis (My-30) with high emulsifying properties (E24) of 71%. The CFCS showed moderate toxicity but were considered non-toxic against Artemia franciscana at low concentrations. In the antifouling assay, the CFCS of both strains of B. niabensis showed the best results for the reduction of the biofilm formation (up 50%) against all Gram-positive bacteria and most Gram-negative bacteria with low concentrations. In the field assay, the CFCS of B. niabensis (My-30) led to the reduction of 30% of biofouling compared to the control. The results indicate that the biosurfactant produced by B. niabensis (My-30) has promising antifouling activity.

Keywords: Bacillus niabensis; Ralstonia sp.; adhesion; biofilm; biosurfactants; environmentally friendly antifouling; field assays.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Evaluation of the effect of biosurfactants of marine bacteria isolated from the Gulf of California. Supernatants of Bacillus niabensis (My-30), Bacillus niabensis (S-69), Ralstonia sp. (S-74), (controls: SDS 10% and H2O). (a) Hemolytic activity, (b) drop collapsing in olive oil, (c) drop collapsing in mineral oil and (d) emulsification properties at 24 h.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Assessment of the efficiency of bacterial supernatants of Bacillus niabensis (My-30 and S-69) and Ralstonia sp. (S-74) for the inhibition of bacterial adhesion, (a) Bp (Bacillus pumilus), (b) Bs (Bacillus subtilis), (c) Msp1 (Micrococcus sp. 1), (d) Psp1 (Pseudoalteromonas sp.1), (e) Psp2 (Pseudoalteromonas sp.2), (f) Ss (Sagittula stellata) and (g) Vsp1 (Vibrio sp.1). Controls CuSO4 (Cu) and TBTO were assayed at 10 µg mL−1.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage of epibiont coverage in different treatment plates after 130 days of exposure in the field (Marina La Paz). Antifouling Paint (AFP), control plate with formulated paint (CP), plates with Bacillus niabensis cell free culture supernatant (CFCS) (My-30, S-69) and plate with Ralstonia sp. CFCS (S-74).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Settlement of organisms in the different treatment after 130 days of immersion in field conditions (Marina of La Paz). (a) Structure PVC unpainted (UP), (b) Antifouling Paint (AFP), (c) control plate with formulated paint (CP), (d) supernatant of (My-30), (e) supernatant of (S-69) and (f) supernatant of (S-74). (Scale bar: 1 cm).
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