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Comparative Analysis of Rhamnolipids from Novel Environmental Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

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Journal of Surfactants and Detergents

Abstract

A comparative analysis of rhamnolipids from environmental isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was undertaken to evaluate strain-specific rhamnolipid fingerprints obtained under different growth conditions. Environmental isolates of P. aeruginosa produced rhamnolipids on different types of substrates, including cheap and renewable sources like sunflower oil from deep fryers and sunflower oil mill effluent. Rhamnolipids were monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization interface mass spectrometry, which allowed fast and reliable identification and quantification of the congeners present. The highest concentration of total rhamnolipids of 3.33 g/l was obtained by the strain P. aeruginosa 67, recovered from petroleum contaminated soil, and strains D1 (1.73 g/l) and D2 (1.70 g/l), recovered from natural microbial consortia originated from mazut-contaminated soil, grown on sunflower oil as a carbon source. Di- to mono-rhamnolipids ratios were in the range of 0.90–5.39 for different media composition and from 1.12 to 4.17 for different producing strains. Rhamnolipid profiles of purified mixtures of all tested strains are similar with chain length from C8–C12, pronounced abundance of Rha–C10–C10 and Rha–Rha–C10–C10 congeners, and a low content of 3-(3-hydroxyalkanoyloxy)-alkanoic acids. Concentrations of major congeners of RLs were found to slightly vary, depending on strain and growth conditions, while variations in minor congeners were more pronounced. Statistically significant increase of critical micelle concentration values was observed with lowering the ratio of total mono- to di-rhamnolipids ratio indicating that mono-rhamnolipids start to form micelles at lower concentration than di-rhamnolipids.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the project III 43004 of the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of Serbia and by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant No. 312478 to ED. The authors thank Dr Lidija Izrael-Zivkovic for her assistance in data processing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12-16, Belgrade, Serbia

    Milena G. Rikalovic & Miroslav M. Vrvic

  2. INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada

    Ahmad Mohammad Abdel-Mawgoud & Eric Déziel

  3. Department of Chemistry ICTM, University of Belgrade, Njegoseva 12, Belgrade, Serbia

    Gordana Dj. Gojgic-Cvijovic

  4. Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Visegradska 26, Belgrade, Serbia

    Zorica Nestorovic

  5. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Visegradska 26, Belgrade, Serbia

    Ivanka M. Karadzic

Authors
  1. Milena G. Rikalovic
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  2. Ahmad Mohammad Abdel-Mawgoud
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  3. Eric Déziel
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  4. Gordana Dj. Gojgic-Cvijovic
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  5. Zorica Nestorovic
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  6. Miroslav M. Vrvic
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  7. Ivanka M. Karadzic
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ivanka M. Karadzic.

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Rikalovic, M.G., Abdel-Mawgoud, A.M., Déziel, E. et al. Comparative Analysis of Rhamnolipids from Novel Environmental Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa . J Surfact Deterg 16, 673–682 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-013-1462-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-013-1462-4

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