Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Angela Sardo, Ida Orefice, Sergio Balzano, Lucia Barra, Giovanna Romano
Summary: Diatom frustules, made of hydrated silica, are unicellular eukaryotic microalgae widely distributed in aquatic environments, and are considered sustainable sources for industrial applications due to their high biocompatibility and surface functionalisation ease. Although suitable for biomedical applications, biosilica frustules have not yet been officially recognized as safe by governmental food and medical agencies.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Ali Deniz Dalgic, Deniz Atila, Aysen Tezcaner, Senih Gurses, Dilek Keskin
Summary: Sustained release of a bioactive agent from a tissue engineering scaffold is achieved through novel scaffold design using appropriate techniques and materials. In this study, an electrospun scaffold with diatom silica frustules was developed to improve osteogenic activity by controlled melatonin delivery. The polymer coat on the frustules successfully lowered melatonin release, and the developed scaffold system significantly improved ALP activity of Saos-2 cells. The silica nature of diatom frustules holds potential use for bone tissue engineering.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Abhishek Saxena, Ankita Dutta, Neha Kapoor, Anoop Kumar, Archana Tiwari
Summary: This study utilized naturally occurring diatoms frustules as a drug delivery system and successfully loaded curcumin onto the frustules. The research found that drug release was faster in physiological conditions compared to acidic conditions, and the frustules had good adsorption capacity. Experimental results further characterized the frustules' properties and drug release mechanism. The curcumin-loaded frustules were non-toxic to normal cells but showed toxicity against cancer cells, and exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. These findings demonstrate that diatoms can be a promising tool for drug delivery applications.
JOURNAL OF DRUG DELIVERY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuka Owari, Fumi Nakamura, Yuya Oaki, Hiroyuki Tsuda, Shinji Shimode, Hiroaki Imai
Summary: The study focuses on the silica ultrastructure of setae of a planktonic diatom with deep holes and characterizes the nanoholes on the silica walls. The specific poroid arrangements and deep nanoholes vary depending on the location of the setae.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jun Cai, Zhenhu Wang, Mengjiao Wang, Deyuan Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrated a bio-templating approach to fabricate a SERS substrate with high detection sensitivity and good reproducibility, showing promising performance for potential applications in various fields.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ginga Shimakawa, Shota Katayama, Yoshinori Tsuji, Kohei Yoneda, Wakao Fukuda, Shinsuke Fujiwara, Yusuke Matsuda
Summary: Living diatom silica immobilization (LiDSI) is a recently developed technique for in vivo protein immobilization on the diatom frustule. This study successfully immobilized six industrially relevant polypeptides using LiDSI, demonstrating its potential for industrial applications in the field of applied biological materials.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Debra K. K. Gale, Gregory L. L. Rorrer
Summary: In this study, the luminescent properties of antibody-functionalized diatom biosilica frustules were enhanced for label-free photoluminescence (PL) detection of immunocomplex formation. The addition of metabolically doped germanium (Ge) into the frustules increased the PL emission, resulting in a 2.6-fold increase in intensity upon immunocomplex formation.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fengyuan Chen, Jie Ma, Zihan Zhong, Hongbin Liu, Aijun Miao, Xiaoshan Zhu, Ke Pan
Summary: Marine diatoms are facing increasing threats from microplastic pollution, especially under disturbed nutrient stoichiometry in seawater. This study focuses on the effects of silicon limitation on the interactions between diatoms and pristine polystyrene microplastics. The results showed that Si-starved cells were less tolerant to microplastic toxicity due to changes in cell configuration and composition. These changes facilitated adsorption and aggregation between diatoms and microplastics, compromising diatoms' resistance. This study provides new insights into the effects of microplastics in dynamic nutrient conditions in the marine environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Alessandra Petrucciani, Paolo Moretti, Maria Grazia Ortore, Alessandra Norici
Summary: Diatoms, the most abundant primary producers in oceans, have a unique ability to incorporate silicic acid in a silica outer shell called frustule. Frustules play adaptative functions in controlling diatom movements and enabling their escape from predators. This study found that silicification primarily influences diatom vertical movements, while energy availability affects cell floating independently from silica content.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Neri Fattorini, Uwe G. Maier
Summary: This study investigated the complex structure of diatom frustule and the cellular targeting signals of cingulin proteins in the frustule. The study identified new frustule proteins and explored the impact of gene expression regulation on the cellular localization of one cingulin protein.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Sha Lyu, Yanjing Wang, Jintao Huang, Tao Li, Dandan Li, Jaw-Kai Wang, Jiangtao Zhang, Dazhi Sun, Peng Yu
Summary: By controlling the sintering temperature, high-strength bimodal porous ceramics were successfully fabricated, maintaining multilayer pore structures. Sintering DFs under 1050 degrees Celsius can achieve high compressive strength and suitable porosity.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Alastair W. Skeffington, Marc Gentzel, Andre Ohara, Alexander Milentyev, Christoph Heintze, Lorenz Boettcher, Stefan Goerlich, Andrej Shevchenko, Nicole Poulsen, Nils Kroeger
Summary: This study extracted silica proteins from three diatom species and found that there were no common proteins among them, and most proteins showed low similarity in sequence alignments. Bioinformatic analysis grouped these proteins into different classes based on unconventional sequence motifs, but their functions are still unclear. In vivo localization results of selected proteins suggest that proteins lacking sequence homology but sharing unconventional sequence motifs may have similar functions in diatom silica cell wall morphogenesis.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Shaun P. Akse, Lubos Polerecky, Michiel V. M. Kienhuis, Jack J. Middelburg
Summary: This study investigates the factors influencing the post-mortem isotopic alteration of diatom frustules during initial stages of diagenesis in sediment. The results show that both fresh diatom detritus and fossil frustules become enriched in O-18, and a relationship between Al-content and 18O-exchange is observed. The presence of Al incorporated into the silica structure slows down 18O exchange, while Al as surface contaminants has no inhibitory role.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Chenfei Yang, Chao Feng, Yuhang Li, Zheng Cao, Yan Sun, Xiaohui Li, Lin Zhang, Chengxu Zhou, Jichang Han
Summary: Diatoms, with their silicified cell wall known as frustule, are crucial to marine primary production. The frustule provides various benefits to diatoms, including nutrient uptake, UV protection, predator deterrent, parasite resistance, light harvesting, CO2 capture, and position control. Moreover, as an exquisite biosilica, the frustule holds great potential as bionanomaterials in the biomedical field. This review explores the morphological and physicochemical characteristics of the frustule, as well as its biological functions and biomedical applications.
ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Tao Li, Haoyang Sun, He Han, Chentao Zhang, Bin Li, Jintao Huang, Dazhi Sun
Summary: In this study, diatom frustules were incorporated into PLA, resulting in a significant improvement in degradation rate. This method provides an efficient way for the rapid development of biodegradable plastics.
COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)