Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) are valuable extracellular macromolecules secreted as capsules or slime layers. A broad range of microorganisms, including bacteria, yeast, fungi, and algae, have attracted attention for their EPS-producing capabilities. These EPS display impressive diversity in their chemical components, architectural configurations, bonding arrangements, and electrical properties. The expanding interest in EPS is due to their extensive use in both culinary and non-food sectors, enhancing the bioavailability of pharmaceuticals and food components, providing health benefits like cardiovascular protection, anti-diabetic effects, anti-tumor properties, as well as their emulsifying capabilities, viscosity characteristics, and texture formation roles.
Although microbial EPS have been extensively studied to improve production, there are still few reports on the systematic elucidation of the relationships among biosynthesis pathways, strain selection, production parameters, and structure-function relationships. Therefore, a detailed summary of the biosynthesis pathways, production parameters, and structure-function relationships of microbial EPS is needed. Additionally, studying the structural modifications and discussing current and potential applications is essential. However, due to the complex structures of microbial EPS, their various bioanabolic pathways, and numerous regulatory factors, the comprehensive analysis of microbial EPS is challenging and constrained by a lack of understanding of the relevant regulatory mechanisms.
A significant number of studies have found that microbial EPS biosynthesis is regulated by biological signal transduction systems, primarily including three classical metabolic pathways: the Quorum Sensing regulation system (QS), the two-component regulation system, and the second messenger regulation system. Despite the excellent functional properties of microbial EPS, most EPS do not possess antibacterial properties, limiting their wide application across various fields. However, the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) facilitated by EPS holds substantial promise for managing infectious diseases in biomedical research. Investigating innovative pathways to enhance EPS production and the resulting nanomaterials is essential. The eco-friendly synthesis of AgNPs facilitated by EPS holds substantial potential for broadening their applications in areas such as antioxidants, cancer therapy, and drug delivery systems. EPS, with its promising attributes as a functional biopolymer, is suitable for use in textiles, cosmetic products, and the food industry. Furthermore, synthesizing EPS-mediated metallic nanoparticles (Au, Zn, Fe-NPs) opens exciting prospects in medicine and environmental remediation, fostering innovation and sustainability.
We are pleased to invite submissions of original research and review for the Research Topic in the following areas related to microbial polysaccharides. The main purpose of this topic is to provide a platform for sharing momentous research work new methods for:
•Isolation and identification of exopolysaccharides producing microorganisms and purification of exopolysaccharides.
•Optimization, structural identification, modification, and application ofexopolysaccharides from microorganisms.
•Biosynthesis mechanism analysis and resource utilization methods of microbial exopolysaccharides.
Keywords:
microbial exopolysaccharides, biosynthetic mechanism, structure-activity relationship, functional characteristic analysis, antibacterial nanocomposites
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPS) are valuable extracellular macromolecules secreted as capsules or slime layers. A broad range of microorganisms, including bacteria, yeast, fungi, and algae, have attracted attention for their EPS-producing capabilities. These EPS display impressive diversity in their chemical components, architectural configurations, bonding arrangements, and electrical properties. The expanding interest in EPS is due to their extensive use in both culinary and non-food sectors, enhancing the bioavailability of pharmaceuticals and food components, providing health benefits like cardiovascular protection, anti-diabetic effects, anti-tumor properties, as well as their emulsifying capabilities, viscosity characteristics, and texture formation roles.
Although microbial EPS have been extensively studied to improve production, there are still few reports on the systematic elucidation of the relationships among biosynthesis pathways, strain selection, production parameters, and structure-function relationships. Therefore, a detailed summary of the biosynthesis pathways, production parameters, and structure-function relationships of microbial EPS is needed. Additionally, studying the structural modifications and discussing current and potential applications is essential. However, due to the complex structures of microbial EPS, their various bioanabolic pathways, and numerous regulatory factors, the comprehensive analysis of microbial EPS is challenging and constrained by a lack of understanding of the relevant regulatory mechanisms.
A significant number of studies have found that microbial EPS biosynthesis is regulated by biological signal transduction systems, primarily including three classical metabolic pathways: the Quorum Sensing regulation system (QS), the two-component regulation system, and the second messenger regulation system. Despite the excellent functional properties of microbial EPS, most EPS do not possess antibacterial properties, limiting their wide application across various fields. However, the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) facilitated by EPS holds substantial promise for managing infectious diseases in biomedical research. Investigating innovative pathways to enhance EPS production and the resulting nanomaterials is essential. The eco-friendly synthesis of AgNPs facilitated by EPS holds substantial potential for broadening their applications in areas such as antioxidants, cancer therapy, and drug delivery systems. EPS, with its promising attributes as a functional biopolymer, is suitable for use in textiles, cosmetic products, and the food industry. Furthermore, synthesizing EPS-mediated metallic nanoparticles (Au, Zn, Fe-NPs) opens exciting prospects in medicine and environmental remediation, fostering innovation and sustainability.
We are pleased to invite submissions of original research and review for the Research Topic in the following areas related to microbial polysaccharides. The main purpose of this topic is to provide a platform for sharing momentous research work new methods for:
•Isolation and identification of exopolysaccharides producing microorganisms and purification of exopolysaccharides.
•Optimization, structural identification, modification, and application ofexopolysaccharides from microorganisms.
•Biosynthesis mechanism analysis and resource utilization methods of microbial exopolysaccharides.
Keywords:
microbial exopolysaccharides, biosynthetic mechanism, structure-activity relationship, functional characteristic analysis, antibacterial nanocomposites
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.