Through thick and thin: a microfluidic approach for continuous measurements of biofilm viscosity and the effect of ionic strength.
Continuous, non-intrusive measurements of time-varying viscosity of Pseudomonas sp. biofilms are made using a microfluidic method that combines video tracking with a semi-empirical viscous flow model. The approach uses measured velocity and height of tracked biofilm segments, which move under the constant laminar flow of a nutrient solution. Following a low viscosity growth stage, rapid thickening was observed. During this stage, viscosity increased by over an order of magnitude in less than ten hours. The technique was also demonstrated as a promising platform for parallel experiments by subjecting multiple biofilm-laden microchannels to nutrient solutions containing NaCl in the range of 0 to 34 mM. Preliminary data suggest a strong relationship between ionic strength and biofilm properties, such as average viscosity and rapid thickening onset time. The technique opens the way for a combinatorial approach to study the response of biofilm viscosity under well-controlled physical, chemical and biological growth conditions.
Département de Chimie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada. jesse.greener@chm.ulaval.ca.
F
F
Paquet-Mercier
Département de Chimie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada. jesse.greener@chm.ulaval.ca.
M
0000-0001-6584-4827
M
Parvinzadeh Gashti
Département de Chimie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada. jesse.greener@chm.ulaval.ca.
J
J
Bellavance
Département de Génie Chimique, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada.
S M
SM
Taghavi
Département de Chimie, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada. jesse.greener@chm.ulaval.ca.
J
J
Greener
D018441:Biofilms; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014783:Viscosity