title: Preliminary Study on Biosynthesis of Bacterial Nanocellulose Tubes in a Novel Double-Silicone-Tube Bioreactor for Potential Vascular Prosthesis.
abstract: Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) has demonstrated a tempting prospect for applications in substitute of small blood vessels. However, present technology is inefficient in production and BNC tubes have a layered structure that may bring danger after implanting. Double oxygen-permeable silicone tubes in different diameters were therefore used as a tube-shape mold and also as oxygenated supports to construct a novel bioreactor for production of the tubular BNC materials. Double cannula technology was used to produce tubular BNC via cultivations with Acetobacter xylinum, and Kombucha, a symbiosis of acetic acid bacteria and yeasts. The results indicated that Kombucha gave higher yield and productivity of BNC than A. xylinum. Bacterial nanocellulose was simultaneously synthesized both on the inner surface of the outer silicone tube and on the outer surface of the inner silicone tube. Finally, the nano BNC fibrils from two directions formed a BNC tube with good structural integrity. Scanning electron microscopy inspection showed that the tubular BNC had a multilayer structure in the beginning but finally it disappeared and an intact BNC tube formed. The mechanical properties of BNC tubes were comparable with the reported value in literatures, demonstrating a great potential in vascular implants or in functional substitutes in biomedicine.
authors.affiliation: Group of Microbiological Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, North Ren Min Road, No. 2999, Songjiang, Shanghai 201620, China ; State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5120-3519
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Group of Microbiological Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, North Ren Min Road, No. 2999, Songjiang, Shanghai 201620, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Group of Microbiological Engineering and Industrial Biotechnology, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Donghua University, North Ren Min Road, No. 2999, Songjiang, Shanghai 201620, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D002482:Cellulose / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry; D041822:Gluconacetobacter xylinus; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry; D012828:Silicones / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012828:Silicones; D002482:Cellulose; D010100:Oxygen