An investigation of the interactions between an E. coli bacterial quorum sensing biosensor and chitosan-based nanocapsules

Xiaofei Qin, Christoph Engwer, Saaketh Desai, Celina Vila-Sanjurjo, Francisco M. Goycoolea

We examined the interaction between chitosan-based nanocapsules (NC), with average hydrodynamic diameter ∼114-155nm, polydispersity ∼0.127, and ζ-potential ∼+50mV, and an E. coli bacterial quorum sensing reporter strain. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) allowed full characterization and assessment of the absolute concentration of NC per unit volume in suspension. By centrifugation, DLS, and NTA, we determined experimentally a "stoichiometric" ratio of ∼80 NC/bacterium. By SEM it was possible to image the aggregation between NC and bacteria. Moreover, we developed a custom in silico platform to simulate the behavior of particles with diameters of 150nm and ζ-potential of +50mV on the bacterial surface. We computed the detailed force interactions between NC-NC and NC-bacteria and found that a maximum number of 145 particles might interact at the bacterial surface. Additionally, we found that the "stoichiometric" ratio of NC and bacteria has a strong influence on the bacterial behavior and influences the quorum sensing response, particularly due to the aggregation driven by NC.