bims-livmat Biomed News
on Living materials
Issue of 2025–06–08
eight papers selected by
Sara Trujillo Muñoz, Leibniz-Institut für Neue Materialien
  1. Synergistic Genetic and Chemical Engineering of Probiotics for Enhanced Intestinal Microbiota Regulation and Ulcerative Colitis Treatment.
  2. Protocol for the generation and purification of minicells from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.
  3. Anisotropic Growth of Filamentous Fungi in Wood Hydrogel Composites Increases Mechanical Properties.
  4. Application of bifidobacterium in tumor therapy.
  5. Tannic acid-integrated alginate microbeads for enhanced protection of probiotics against antibiotic killing.
  6. A Review of Next-Generation Probiotics-As a Gateway to Biotherapeutics.
  7. Genetically engineered bacteria-based nanocomposite synergistic HIFU for tumor therapy by changing the acoustic environment of tumor tissues.
  8. Biosynthesis of Melanin with Engineered Probiotics for Oral Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis.
  1. Adv Mater. 2025 Jun 01. e2417050
    Synergistic Genetic and Chemical Engineering of Probiotics for Enhanced Intestinal Microbiota Regulation and Ulcerative Colitis Treatment.
    Jiani Jiang, Yi Ma, Liang Zhou, Wenfang Han, Ying Liang, Jiangyan Dong, Yuqin Ding, Wen Li, Qi Lei, Jiangtao Li, Wei Zhu, Qinlu Lin.
      Live bacterial therapeutics (LBT) hold significant promise for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) by utilizing engineered microorganisms to restore mucosal barrier function, modulate microbiota imbalances, and enhance immunity. However, challenges such as low bacterial survival under harsh gastrointestinal conditions, difficulties in achieving long-term colonization, and unclear therapeutic targets limit their effectiveness. To address these issues, a novel approach is proposed that integrates genetic and chemical engineering for intestinal flora regulation in UC treatment. This strategy employs bacterial programmability and gene editing to produce bactericidal agents that dynamically modulate the intestinal microecology and utilize controlled chemical modifications to enhance bacterial resistance. Using Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) as a model, a polyelectrolyte composite coating is developed that significantly increased bacterial survival in the gastrointestinal tract-40-fold in the stomach and 74-fold in the small intestine. Additionally, EcN::mcmA is engineered to overproduce iron-carrier microcins (MccM) with a "Trojan horse" mechanism to target and disrupt pathogenic bacteria. In a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse UC model, EcN::mcmA@P/O treatment effectively reduced inflammation and improved intestinal flora regulation, presenting a promising and potentially safer long-term solution for UC.
    Keywords:  chemical modification; engineered probiotics; intestinal flora; live bacterial therapeutics; ulcerative colitis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202417050
  2. J Microbiol. 2025 May;63(5): e2412002
    Protocol for the generation and purification of minicells from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.
    Hyemin Kang, Donghyun Kim, Juhyun Kim.
      Minicells, which are anucleate cells generated by irregular cell division, are emerging as promising drug delivery systems owing to advances in synthetic biology. However, their development is largely limited to a few model bacteria, highlighting the need to explore minicell platforms in alternative hosts. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (L. plantarum), a probiotic bacterium classified as Generally Recognized as Safe, is an ideal candidate for such exploration. Minicell-producing L. plantarum was engineered by deleting the putative minD gene via plasmid-mediated homologous recombination, which inactivates cell division to form spherical minicells. Anucleate cells were isolated through differential centrifugation and filtration, followed by additional drug treatment to completely eliminate progenitor cells. Microscopy and flow cytometry analyses of the purified sample confirmed the absence of progenitor cells by DAPI staining. This protocol effectively produces bacterial minicells from L. plantarum for use in various biotechnological applications, including therapeutic agent delivery.
    Keywords:  L. plantarum; MinD; minicells
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2412002
  3. ACS Appl Bio Mater. 2025 Jun 06.
    Anisotropic Growth of Filamentous Fungi in Wood Hydrogel Composites Increases Mechanical Properties.
    Ciatta Wobill, Ziyu Zhang, Peter Fischer, Patrick A Rühs.
      There is a rising demand for sustainable, biodegradable, and robust materials in response to growing environmental concerns. Here, we propose using delignified wood as a scaffold for fungal proliferation to obtain wood-fungi composites. The delignification process preserves the fiber directionality inherent to natural wood, enabling fungi to grow along these fibers, enhancing the composites' mechanical properties, and promoting anisotropic fungal growth. The delignified wood was used as a scaffold for the growth of Aspergillus oryzae and Rhizopus oligosporus. Both wood-fungi composites exhibited a higher mechanical strength after fungal proliferation. We used balsa, poplar, and spruce as wood to demonstrate the effects of varying wood architectures. Even though the tensile strengths of all three wood scaffolds were not significantly different, wood scaffolds with lower densities promoted fungal growth. Increasing agar and glucose concentrations were found to significantly enhance tensile strength and Young's modulus. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of wood scaffolds increased from 101 kPa to nearly 103 kPa and 10-3 GPa to nearly 10-1 GPa, respectively. These results highlight the versatile nature of delignified wood as a platform for fungal growth. It offers tunable properties that can be optimized for various applications in composite manufacturing.
    Keywords:  anisotropy; composite material; delignified wood; engineered living materials; mycelium; tensile test
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.5c00374
  4. Front Oncol. 2025 ;15 1551924
    Application of bifidobacterium in tumor therapy.
    Yinwu Kong, Han Bai, Feifei Deng, Yaomin Zhao, Qianyan Li, Li Chang.
      Current clinical cancer treatments primarily rely on surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy; however, each approach has inherent limitations. In recent years, nanomaterials have gained significant attention in oncology due to their advantages in precise drug delivery, enhanced targeting, and improved therapeutic efficacy. Nevertheless, their clinical application remains limited by challenges such as complex synthesis, high costs, low delivery efficiency, and poor biodegradability. Bifidobacterium (BBM), a clinically used probiotic, has demonstrated unique tumor-targeting potential due to its obligate anaerobic nature, allowing it to selectively colonize, proliferate, and expand within the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Recent advancements in synthetic biology and bacterial engineering have enabled the modification of Bifidobacterium as a microrobot for molecular imaging, drug or gene delivery, and other therapeutic functions. Compared to nanomaterials, Bifidobacterium-based bacterial therapy holds promise in overcoming certain limitations while potentially enhancing comprehensive cancer treatment by modulating the tumor microenvironment and boosting host immune responses. This review summarizes the latest progress in Bifidobacterium-mediated tumor imaging and therapy, explores its mechanisms of action, engineering strategies, and clinical applications, and discusses future directions for optimizing its functional design to improve therapeutic efficacy and safety.
    Keywords:  bifidobacterium; immune activation; malignant tumors; nanomaterials; tumor hypoxic microenvironment; tumor targeting
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2025.1551924
  5. Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jun 01. pii: S0141-8130(25)05401-7. [Epub ahead of print] 144849
    Tannic acid-integrated alginate microbeads for enhanced protection of probiotics against antibiotic killing.
    Nannan Gao, Na Du, Xinyue Mu, Lingxiu Hu, Yitong Zhao, Xiao Xiao, Juanjuan Li, Yong Liu.
      Orally administered antibiotics can disrupt gut microbiota and lead to intestinal disorders. Although probiotics are commonly used to restore gut homeostasis, their efficacy is compromised in the presence of antibiotics. Here, we present edible probiotic microbeads (E@AlgTA) that are resistant to antibiotic drug treatment, simply by co-encapsulating Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) and tannic acid (TA) in alginate (Alg) microgels. TA, a plant-derived polyphenolic compound, forms nanoprecipitates with various antibiotics through molecular complexation, reducing their free concentration and thereby enhancing the viability of probiotic cells. Compared to unencapsulated EcN, E@AlgTA demonstrates significantly improved viability in the presence of gentamicin treatment, a broad-spectrum bactericidal drug used in the clinic. Besides, the pH-sensitive Alg shell provides efficient protection for the encapsulated cells in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. This approach offers a promising strategy to deliver probiotics in harsh environments, potentially applicable in treating antibiotic-associated gastrointestinal disorders.
    Keywords:  Alginate microgels; Probiotics; Tannic acid
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.144849
  6. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2025 Jun 03.
    A Review of Next-Generation Probiotics-As a Gateway to Biotherapeutics.
    A Vijayaganapathi, V Mohanasrinivasan.
      Next-generation probiotics (NGPs) represent a promising advancement in microbial therapeutics, offering targeted and personalized interventions for various health disorders. Unlike traditional probiotics, NGPs focus on specific bacterial strains with enhanced functional properties, achieved through genetic engineering and next-generation sequencing technologies. Their applications span gastrointestinal disorders, metabolic syndromes, immune-related conditions, skin diseases, oral health, and animal well-being. NGPs contribute to gut microbiome modulation, metabolic regulation, and immune system enhancement, demonstrating therapeutic potential in clinical studies. Regulatory challenges persist, as NGPs fall under different legal classifications worldwide, necessitating rigorous safety assessments, including whole-genome sequencing to evaluate virulence and antibiotic resistance. Clinical trials continue to validate their efficacy in diverse conditions, emphasizing the need for standardized guidelines. Furthermore, novel probiotic delivery systems, including microdevices and targeted coatings, are being explored to improve bacterial viability and colonization in the gut. Identifying new probiotic strains with enhanced survival capabilities and elucidating their mechanisms of action remain critical for advancing probiotic science. Cost-effectiveness and commercialization of NGPs present opportunities for broader healthcare integration, with increasing research supporting their role in disease prevention and treatment. This review highlights the multifaceted potential of NGPs and the challenges that must be addressed for their successful implementation in modern healthcare.
    Keywords:  Biotherapeutics; Microencapsulation; Next-generation probiotics; Probiotics; Synbiotics
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12602-025-10606-2
  7. Cancer Cell Int. 2025 Jun 04. 25(1): 201
    Genetically engineered bacteria-based nanocomposite synergistic HIFU for tumor therapy by changing the acoustic environment of tumor tissues.
    Ting Gong, Wen Zhao, Youqiang Chen, Youqian He, Jie Xiong, Yijun Xiong, Liu Yin, Yong Luo, Yi Tang.
      High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a novel non-invasive technique with tremendous potential applications. However, ensuring effectiveness and safety of HIFU therapy remains a substantial challenge. Changing the acoustic environment of tumor tissues is an emerging way to solve this problem. In this study, we successfully constructed a bacteria-based nanocomposite, consisting genetically engineered bacteria (GVs-E.coli) and perfluorohexane/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PFH/PLGA) nanoparticles, which is denoted as GVs-E@PP NPs. We demonstrated that GVs-E@PP NPs could selectively target and proliferate in the tumor sites, and enhance the efficacy of HIFU therapy by changing the acoustic environment of tumor tissues. Specifically, they induced an increase in collagen fibers, elastic modulus, sound velocity and sound attenuation within tumor tissues, while simultaneously reducing tumor angiogenesis. These comprehensive changes facilitated the therapeutic efficacy of HIFU treatment. In summary, this approach represents an innovative therapeutic strategy to enhance HIFU synergy in tumor treatment.
    Keywords:  Acoustic environment; Bacteriotherapy; High-intensity focused ultrasound; Tumor therapy
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12935-025-03833-8
  8. ACS Nano. 2025 Jun 04.
    Biosynthesis of Melanin with Engineered Probiotics for Oral Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis.
    Yu Liu, Xiazi Huang, Xiaohua Jia, Jing Huang, Ruoyao Cao, Fan Yu, Kaizhong Xue, Hui Hui, Jie Lu.
      Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic intestinal inflammation characterized by immune overactivity and gut microbiota imbalance, leading to oxidative stress and inflammation. New therapeutics are required because existing ones are frequently unsuccessful and have long-term adverse effects. The research aims to manage oxidative stress and restore gut microbiota balance. The benefits of probiotics for UC can be compromised by gastrointestinal conditions that interfere with their adhesion and activity. Coating methods enhance bacterial survival in the gastrointestinal environment but face challenges like instability at low pH, short-lived effects, complexity, layer interactions, and biosafety issues. Melanin-like nanozymes are stable in the gastrointestinal environment and effectively scavenge reactive oxygen species, specifically targeting colitis lesions. We developed biosynthetic melanin-producing engineered bacteria (EcN-Mel) derived from genetically modified Nissle 1917 Escherichia coli expressing tyrosinase genes. This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of administering EcN-Mel orally in UC mouse models. Results showed that EcN-Mel produced and secreted melanin, exhibiting targeted intestinal adhesion, a free radical scavenging ability, and gastrointestinal stability. In vivo imaging revealed increased colonization efficiency and retention time of EcN-Mel in inflamed intestinal segments. EcN-Mel enhances beneficial bacteria of the Lactobacillus genus while decreasing harmful members of the Proteobacteria genus, promoting gut microbiota homeostasis, and alleviating colitis. EcN-Mel alleviated intestinal mucosal damage through combined actions, including gut microbiota modulation, oxidative stress reversal, cytokine regulation, and barrier restoration. Our findings confirm the safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of EcN-Mel for UC treatment.
    Keywords:  engineering melanin-producing probiotics; gastrointestinal tolerance; microbiota homeostasis; oxidative stress; ulcerative colitis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c17942
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