Scanning electron microscopic study of surface changes on biodegradable sutures.
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Animals↗
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Quantitative structure-biodegradability relationships of substituted benzenes and their biodegradability in river water.
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Benzene Derivatives↗
Biodegradation of orthodontic appliances. Part I. Biodegradation of nickel and chromium in vitro.
The purpose of this study is to compare in vitro the corrosion rate of a standard orthodontic appliance consisting of bands, brackets and either stainless steel or nickel-titanium arch wires. The corrosion products analyzed were nickel and chromium. Evaluation was conducted with the appliances immersed for 4 weeks in a prepared artificial saliva medium at 37 degrees C. Ten identical sets were used, each simulating a complete orthodontic appliance used on a maxillary arch with a full complement of teeth. Five sets were ligated to stainless steel arch wires, and the other five sets were ligated to nickel-titanium arch wires. Nickel and chromium release was quantified with the use of a flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The analysis of variance was used to determine if differences existed between the nickel and chromium release according to arch wire type, as well as with time (days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28). The results indicate that (1) orthodontic appliances release measurable amounts of nickel and chromium when placed in an artificial saliva medium. (2) The nickel release reaches a maximum after approximately 1 week, then the rate of release diminishes with time. On the other hand, chromium release increases during the first 2 weeks and levels off during the subsequent 2 weeks. (3) The release rates of nickel or chromium from stainless steel and nickel-titanium arch wires are not significantly different. (4) For both arch wire types, the release for nickel averaged 37 times greater than that for chromium. How much of these corrosive products are actually absorbed by patients still needs to be determined.
Alloys↗
Determination of naturally occurring MTBE biodegradation by analysing metabolites and biodegradation by-products.
Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is one of the main additives in gasoline. Its degradation is known to be difficult in natural environments. In this study, significant MTBE degradation is demonstrated at a contaminated site in Leuna (eastern Germany). Since the extent of the plume appeared to be constant over the last 5 years, an extended study was performed to elucidate the degradation processes. Special attention was paid to the production, accumulation and degradation of metabolites and by-products. Groundwater samples from 105 monitoring wells were used to measure 20 different substances. During the degradation process, several intermediates such as tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), tert-butyl formate, formate and lactate were produced. However, the potentially carcinogenic by-product methacrylate was not detected in several hundred samples. At the Leuna site, MTBE degradation occurred under microaerobic conditions. In contrast to hydrocarbons and BTEX, there was no evidence for anaerobic MTBE degradation. Among the degradation products, TBA was found to be a useful intermediate to identify MTBE degradation, at least under microaerobic conditions. TBA accumulation was strongly correlated to MTBE degradation according to the kinetic properties of both degradation processes. Since maximum degradation rates (v(max)) and k(m) values were higher for MTBE (v(max)=2.3 mg/l/d and k(m)=3.2 mg/l) than for TBA (v(max)=1.35 mg/l/d and k(m)=0.05 mg/l), TBA significantly accumulated as an intermediate by-product. The field results were supported by bench scale model aquifer experiments.
Biodegradation, Environmental↗
Aerobic and anoxic biodegradation of benzoate: stability of biodegradative capability under endogenous conditions.
Aromatic organic compounds are degraded by different enzyme systems under aerobic and anoxic conditions. This raises the question of how bacteria in biological nitrogen removal processes, which cycle bacteria between aerobic and anoxic environments, regulate their enzyme systems for degrading aromatic compounds. As a first step in answering that question, mixed microbial communities were grown on benzoate as sole carbon source in chemostats under fully aerobic and fully anoxic (nitrate as the electron acceptor) conditions and tested for their ability to degrade benzoate in batch reactors after exposure to aerobic or anoxic conditions in the absence of substrate. Aerobically grown biomass retained its ability to degrade benzoate without loss of activity after endogenous exposure to aerobic conditions for up to 8 h. However, when exposed to anoxic conditions, the biomass rapidly lost its aerobic benzoate degrading activity, retaining less than 20% of the initial activity after 8 h. Similarly, anoxically grown biomass retained its ability to degrade benzoate without loss of activity after endogenous exposure to anoxic conditions for up to 8 h. However, when anoxically grown biomass was exposed to aerobic conditions, only 20% of its initial activity was lost in the first 2 h, after which the remaining activity was retained for up to 8 h. Similar experiments with pyruvate showed that the 20% loss of activity was not due to loss of denitrifying enzymes, suggesting that it was due to loss of catabolic enzymes.
Aerobiosis↗
Biodegradation of aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters: evaluation of the final biodegradability and ecotoxicological impact of degradation intermediates.
The biological degradation behaviour of the aliphatic-aromatic copolyester Ecoflex was investigated with regard to the degree of degradation and the intermediates formed during the degradation process. The individual thermophilic strain Thermomonospora fusca, isolated from compost material, was used for the degradation experiments in a defined synthetic medium at 55 degrees C. After 22 days of degradation more than 99.9% of the polymer had depolymerized and with regard to the degradation of the diacid and diol components of Ecoflex only the monomers of the copolyesters (1,4-butanediol, terephthalate and adipate) could be detected by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) measurements in the medium. In interrupted degradation experiments predominantly the monoesters of adipic acid and terephthalic acid with 1,4-butanediol were observed in addition to the monomers. In toxicological tests with Daphnia magna and Photobacterium phosphoreum no significant toxicological effect was observed, neither for the monomeric intermediates nor for the oligomeric intermediates. From a risk assessment it can be concluded that there is no indication for an environmental risk when aliphatic-aromatic copolyesters of the Ecoflex-type are introduced into composting processes.
Animals↗
Biodegradation of a high molecular weight aliphatic ether--indications of an unusual biodegradation pathway.
An aliphatic ether (1-phytanyl-1-octadecanyl-ether) of high molecular weight was used as a sole carbon source in degradation experiments with different aerobic bacteria. The enriched culture B5, obtained from fuel contaminated soils, was able to degrade the substance for more than 90%. A culture of Rhodococcus ruber was similarly effective. Detailed investigation of the metabolites allowed us to characterize an unusual degradation pathway via a mid-chain oxidation mechanism ('internal oxidative pathway'). Obviously, formation of intermediate alkenes mainly at the unbranched side chain was a prerequisite for bacterial degradation of the added substrate. Degradation proceeded - in spite of the usually preferred terminal oxidation - via oxidation of the internal double bond and was followed by an ester cleavage. In turn, a series of alcohols was formed which were subsequently oxidized to the respective carboxylic acids and were further metabolized via the normal beta-oxidation pathway.
Alcohols↗
Synthesis, characterization, biodegradation, and drug delivery application of biodegradable lactic/glycolic acid polymers: Part III. Drug delivery application.
Lactic/glycolic acid polymers (PLGA) are widely used for drug delivery systems. The microsphere formulation is the most interesting dosage form of the PLGA-based controlled release devices. In this study, the previously reported PLGA were used to prepare drug-containing microspheres. Progesterone was used as a model drug. The progesterone microspheres were prepared from PLGA having varied compositions and varied molecular weight. The microscopic characterization shows that the microspheres are spherical, nonaggregated particles. The progesterone-containing PLGA microspheres possess a Gaussian size distribution, having average size from 70-134 microm. A solvent extraction method was employed to prepare the microspheres. The microencapsulation method used in this study has high drug encapsulation efficiency. The progesterone release from the PLGA microspheres and the factors affecting the drug release were studied. The release of progesterone from the PLGA microspheres is affected by the properties of the polymer used. The drug release is more rapid from the microspheres prepared using the PLGA having higher fraction of glycolic acid moiety. The drug release from the microspheres composed of higher molecular weight PLGA is faster. The drug content in microspheres also has an effect on the drug release. Higher progesterone content in microspheres yields a quicker initial burst release of the drug.
Biocompatible Materials↗
Synthesis, characterization, biodegradation, and drug delivery application of biodegradable lactic/glycolic acid polymers: I. Synthesis and characterization.
A series of lactic/glycolic acid polymers with various molar ratios of lactic to glycolic acid and various molecular weights were synthesized using the ring-opening polymerization method. The polymerization conditions for the lactic/glycolic acid polymer synthesis were as follows: 150 degrees C, 700 microm Hg, 3 h, 0.03 wt% of catalyst (stannous 2-ethyl-hexanoate) concentration. The molecular weight of these polymers was controlled by using a molecular weight controller, lauryl alcohol. The synthesized polymers have been characterized with respect to polymer composition, molecular weight, inherent viscosity, and glass transition temperature. The characterization experiments show a good correlation between the polymer compositions and the feed ratios of lactic to glycolic acid. The molecular weight of the lactic/glycolic polymers, ranging from 10,876 to 166,630 D and the intrinsic viscosity of the polymers, ranging from 0.16 to 0.86 dl g(-1), are controlled by the amount of molecular weight controller used. The effect of the amount of the molecular weight controller on the polymer molecular weight and the polymer inherent viscosity was studied. Results indicate that the molecular weight and inherent viscosity of the polymers have a log-log linear relationship with the amount of molecular weight controller used. The lactic/glycolic acid polymers are amorphous, glassy, and transparent. The glass transition temperature of the polymers range from 21.95 to 51.29 degrees C, depending on the polymer molecular weight and the composition.
Biocompatible Materials↗
Synthesis, characterization, biodegradation, and drug delivery application of biodegradable lactic/glycolic acid oligomers: I. Synthesis and characterization.
A series of oligomers or low molecular weight polymers of lactic and/or glycolic acid has been synthesized with different molar ratios of lactic to glycolic acid. These oligomers have been characterized with respect to oligomer composition, molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity, crystallinity, melting temperature, and glass transition temperature. The polymerization conditions for the lactic/glycolic acid oligomer syntheses were as follows: 180-220 degrees C, 5 mm Hg, 5 h, and 0.1 wt% of catalyst (antimony oxide) concentration. The polymeric compositions correlated to the feed ratios of lactic to glycolic acid. The molecular weight of the oligomers ranged from 895.8 +/- 48.7 to 1368.0 +/- 0 D with the intrinsic viscosity ranging from 0.0513 to 0.0814 dl g-1. The lactic/glycolic acid oligomers were found to be amorphous. The glass transition temperatures of the lactic/glycolic acid oligomers were lower than physiological temperature.
Biodegradation, Environmental↗
[LH-RH treatment of patients with prostatic cancer by subcutaneous injection, non-biodegradable and biodegradable slow delivery system and intranasal spray application].
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Administration, Intranasal↗
Biodegradable microspheres. VII: Alterations in mouse liver morphology after intravenous administration of polyacryl starch microparticles with different biodegradability.
Semisynthetic polyacryl starch microparticles are being investigated as drug carriers. In the present paper the possible adverse effects, reflected as morphological alterations, of iv administration of polyacryl starch microparticles were studied in mice. The spleen, lungs, and kidneys displayed a normal morphology after microparticle administration, while dose-dependent reversible alterations of the liver morphology were observed. The alterations initially consisted of vacuolization of the hepatocytes along the sinusoids, followed by unicellular hepatocyte necrosis and formation of granulomas. Later, an increased number of mitotic cells reflected tissue generation and, after two weeks, the tissue morphology was essentially normalized, with the exception of an increased number of binucleated hepatocytes. After repeated administration of the particles in low doses, the same types of alterations were observed but the kinetics of tissue repair was slower. Possible mechanisms inducing these alterations are discussed and comparisons are made with the effects of synthetic polyacrylamide microparticles.
Animals↗
A review of structure-based biodegradation estimation methods.
Biodegradation, being the principal abatement process in the environment, is the most important parameter influencing the toxicity, persistence, and ultimate fate in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Biodegradation of an organic chemical in natural systems may be classified as primary (alteration of molecular integrity), ultimate (complete mineralization; i.e. conversion to inorganic compounds and/or normal metabolic processes), or acceptable (toxicity ameliorated). Most of the biodegradation correlations presented in the literature focus on the characterization of primary or ultimate, aerobic degradation. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is charged with determining the risks associated with the thousands of chemicals employed in commerce, an effort that is being facilitated through much research aimed at reliable structure-activity relationships (SAR) to predict biodegradation of chemicals in natural systems. To this end, models are needed to understand the mechanisms of biodegradation, to classify chemicals according to relative biodegradability, and to develop reliable biodegradation estimation methods for new chemicals. Frequently, published correlations associating molecular structure to biodegradation will attempt to quantify the degradability of a limited set of homologous chemicals. These correlations have been dubbed quantitative structure biodegradability relationships (QSBRs). More scarce and valuable to researchers are those models that predict the biodegradability of compounds possessing a wide variety of chemical structures. The latter may use any of several techniques and molecular descriptors to correlate biodegradability: QSBRs, pattern recognition, discriminant analysis, and principle component analysis (PCA), to name several. Generally, models either predict the propensity of a chemical to biodegrade using Boolean-type logic (i.e. whether a chemical will "readily biodegrade" or not), or else they quantify the degree of biodegradation by providing information such as rate constants. Such quantitative predictions of biodegradability come in a diversity of parameters, including half-lives, various biodegradation rates and rates constants, theoretical oxygen demand (ThOD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and others. In this paper, after describing the advantages and disadvantages of the various biodegradation estimation methods found in the literature, the best models are compared to conclude which provide the greatest utility for determining the biodegradability of chemicals with widely varying structures. The group contribution technique presented by Boethling et al. [Environmen. Sci. Technol. 28 (1994) 459] appears to be the most advantageous for use in broad screening for tendency to biodegrade. The model is simple to use, calculating a probability of biodegrading ranging from 0 (none) to 1 (certain), and has proven to be accurate for a wide range of chemical structures, as established by the large, high-quality data set (BIODEG evaluated biodegradation database, Syracuse Research Corporation, Merrill Lane, Syracuse, NY 13210) used to develop this correlation. The authors, therefore, recommend the method of Boethling et al. [Environ. Sci. Technol. 28 (1994) 459] for the initial screening of chemicals to aid in determining whether additional information is necessary to establish relative biodegradability. For readers with applications requiring more quantitative results, such as biodegradation rate constants, enough model details are presented in this paper to allow the reader to pick a suitable correlation, although the reader is cautioned to consult the original, primary reference for the complete method description, equations, and limitations.
Biodegradation, Environmental↗
Biodegradation of sorbed chemicals in soil.
Rates of biodegradation of sorbed chemicals are usually lower in soil than in aqueous systems, in part because sorption reduces the availability of the chemical to microorganisms. Biodegradation, sorption, and diffusion occur simultaneously and are tightly coupled. In soil, the rate of biodegradation is a function of a chemical's diffusion coefficient, sorption partition coefficient, the distance it must diffuse from the site of sorption to microbial populations that can degrade it, and its biodegradation rate constant. A model (DSB model) was developed that describes biodegradation of chemicals limited in the availability by sorption and diffusion. Different kinetics expressions describe biodegradation depending on whether the reaction is controlled by mass transfer (diffusion and sorption) or the intrinsic biodegradation rate, and whether biodegradation begins during or after the majority of sorption has occurred. We tested the hypothesis that there is a direct relationship between how strongly a chemical is sorbed and the chemical's biodegradation rate. In six soils with different organic carbon contents, there was no relationship between the extent or rate of biodegradation and the sorption partition coefficient for phenanthrene. Aging of phenanthrene residues in soil led to a substantial reduction in the rate of biodegradation compared to biodegradation rates of recently added phenanthrene. Considerable research has focused on identification and development of techniques for enhancing in situ biodegradation of sorbed chemicals. Development of such techniques, especially those involving inoculation with microbial strains, should consider physical mass transfer limitations and potential decreases in bioavailability over time.
Absorption↗
Preadapted inocula for limiting the risk of errors in biodegradability tests.
Reducing the time for biodegradability tests to 28 days poses a problem when the inoculum contains few biodegraders, as a biodegradable xenobiotic must give a positive result within this time. The influence of initial concentration (X0, number of cells liter-1) on the lag time (hours) of para-nitrophenol biodegradability tests was examined using different concentrations of adapted Pseudomonas putida with para-nitrophenol as the sole carbon and energy source. Lag time decreased as bacterial density increased according to the expression y = 63.5 - 5.7(log10X0). The addition of river water to the P. putida concentrations shortened the lag time-bacterial density relationship and lag time filled the expression y = 52.4 - 5.1(log10X0). The addition of river water also increased the rate of para-nitrophenol biodegradation from 1.29 mgC (liters x hr)-1 to 2.11 mgC (liters x hr)-1. An examination of the effect of the initial adapted P. putida density, expressed as total cell, cultivable bacteria, or biodegraders, was also made on the para-nitrophenol biodegradability test outcome. The model-related cell density and the probability of test response give very similar k constants (kT = 0.56 x 10(-3) liter total cells-1; kv = 0.11 x 10(-3) liter CFU-1, kMPN = 0.16 x 10(-3) liter MPN-1). Comparisons with nonadapted natural mixed culture (activated sludge, river water) indicate that the biodegradability test responses were the same as with adapted cells when the nonadapted cell concentrations were at least 5 x 10(10) total cells liter-1. As this high cell concentration led to carbon contamination, adapting mixed inocula before the test to increase the number of biodegraders appears to be the best solution. Before biodegradability tests, cell density can be adjusted using techniques which are not specific to biodegraders, and only 10(5) total adapted cells liter-1 are needed for a 99.9% chance of a positive response in para-nitrophenol biodegradability tests.
Biodegradation, Environmental↗
Evaluation of biodegradability of NOM after ozonation.
The major purpose of this study was to develop a simple procedure to describe the kinetics of biodegradation of natural organic matter (NOM) in drinking water and to use this procedure to evaluate changes in the concentration of biodegradable organic matter during ozonation and biotreatment. The proposed approach quantitatively describes the formation and removal of rapidly and slowly biodegradable fractions of NOM. This study showed that, depending on source water, ozonation of NOM may result in either minimal formation of biodegradable organic carbon (BDOC), or the formation of predominantly rapidly biodegradable NOM, or in the formation of both rapidly and slowly biodegradable NOM. The kinetic data obtained in this study suggest that while conventional biofiltration processes are capable of removing the rapidly biodegradable fraction, slowly biodegradable organic matter would remain in the filter effluent and may cause bacterial regrowth in the distribution system. An addition of a small amount of easily biodegradable carbon ("stimulated" biodegradation) to ozonated water appears to be effective for the removal of slowly biodegradable organic matter.
Bacteria↗
Biodegradation of chemicals in a standardized test and in environmental conditions.
The estimation of biodegradation rates is an important source of uncertainty in chemical risk assessment. The existing OECD tests for ready biodegradability have been developed to devise screening methods to determine whether a chemical is potentially easily biodegradable, rather than to predict the actual rate, of biodegradation in the environment. However, risk assessment needs degradation rates. In practice these rates are often estimated (default values) from ready biodegradability tests. These tests have many compromising arbitrary features compared to the situation in the real environment. One important difference is the concentration of the chemical. In wastewater treatment or in the environment many chemicals are present at ng l(-1) to microg l(-1) levels whereas in the tests the concentrations exceed 10-400 mg carbon per litre. These different concentrations of the chemical will lead to different growth kinetics and hence different biodegradation rates. At high concentrations the chemical, if it is degradable, can serve as a primary substrate and competent microorganisms will grow exponentially, resulting in a sigmoid biodegradation curve. At low environmental concentrations the chemical does not serve as a primary substrate, and therefore does not support significant growth of the degraders, and the substrate has a linear biodegradation rate. In this study the biodegradation rates of two reference chemicals, aniline and 4-chloroaniline, were compared in a standard method and in more realistic conditions at low concentrations, using 14C-labelled substances and different sources of inocula. Biomass evolution during the tests was monitored by adenosine triphosphate measurement and also on the basis of the residual 14C-activity in the particulate matter. The results partly support the thesis that low concentrations lead to different biodegradation kinetics compared to the concentrations used in the standard tests. Furthermore the biodegradation rates of the chemicals studied, particularly of 4-chloroaniline, in Finnish natural waters appeared to be lower than those reported in some other countries.
Adenosine Triphosphate↗
Model coupling intraparticle diffusion/sorption, nonlinear sorption, and biodegradation processes.
Diffusion, sorption and biodegradation are key processes impacting the efficiency of natural attenuation. While each process has been studied individually, limited information exists on the kinetic coupling of these processes. In this paper, a model is presented that couples nonlinear and nonequilibrium sorption (intraparticle diffusion) with biodegradation kinetics. Initially, these processes are studied independently (i.e., intraparticle diffusion, nonlinear sorption and biodegradation), with appropriate parameters determined from these independent studies. Then, the coupled processes are studied, with an initial data set used to determine biodegradation constants that were subsequently used to successfully predict the behavior of a second data set. The validated model is then used to conduct a sensitivity analysis, which reveals conditions where biodegradation becomes desorption rate-limited. If the chemical is not pre-equilibrated with the soil prior to the onset of biodegradation, then fast sorption will reduce aqueous concentrations and thus biodegradation rates. Another sensitivity analysis demonstrates the importance of including nonlinear sorption in a coupled diffusion/sorption and biodegradation model. While predictions based on linear sorption isotherms agree well with solution concentrations, for the conditions evaluated this approach overestimates the percentage of contaminant biodegraded by as much as 50%. This research demonstrates that nonlinear sorption should be coupled with diffusion/sorption and biodegradation models in order to accurately predict bioremediation and natural attenuation processes. To our knowledge this study is unique in studying nonlinear sorption coupled with intraparticle diffusion and biodegradation kinetics with natural media.
Adsorption↗