Carbon dots-assisted degradation of some common biogenic amines: An in vitro study

In this work, the reduction/degradation capability of carbon dots (CDs) on biogenic amines (BAs) produced by Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli was investigated in vitro conditions. In this work, the response surface methodology (RSM) and the central composite design (CCD) was applied in order to find the optimized CDs concentration and incubation time on the reduction of BAs. CDs represented a quite high degradation percentage on cadaverine, followed by histamine, tyramine and putrescine. Cadaverine produced by E. coli was completely degraded, while CDs degraded only 55% of putrescine produced by E. faecalis. Based on RSM outputs, both independent variables (concentration of CDs and the incubation time), affected the reduction/degradation of BAs in the two investigated pathogens. The results revealed that the concentration of CDs had the major influence on BAs degradation. The antimicrobial and FTIR investigations implied that CDs degraded only BAs of E. faecalis and have no activity on the production of BAs by the bacterium, In the case of BAs of E. coli, CDs not only inhibited the E. coli growth and reduced BA accumulation but also degraded the as-formed BAs. These data serve to reinforce a conclusion that CDs represent a potential material for BAs degradation.

Automated summary

This study investigated the reduction/degradation capability of carbon dots on biogenic amines produced by Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli. The optimal concentrations of CDs and incubation time for reducing BAs were determined using response surface methodology and central composite design. CDs showed high degradation rates for certain BAs, with concentration of CDs being the major influencing factor on BAs degradation.