Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Mass Transport and Structure Inside a Phototrophic Biofilm

The aim of this study was to utilize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to image structural heterogeneity and mass transport inside a biofilm which was too thick for photon based imaging. MRI was used to map water diffusion and image the transport of the paramagnetically tagged macromolecule, Gd-DTPA,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current microbiology 2013-05, Vol.66 (5), p.456-461
Main Authors: Ramanan, Baheerathan, Holmes, William M, Sloan, William T, Phoenix, Vernon R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biofilm
Biofilms
Biological Transport
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biotechnology
Cyanobacteria - physiology
Diffusion
Diffusion coefficient
diffusivity
Gadolinium DTPA - metabolism
Heterogeneity
image analysis
Life Sciences
magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
mass transfer
Mass transport
Microbiology
molecular weight
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Solute movement
Water - chemistry
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Summary:The aim of this study was to utilize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to image structural heterogeneity and mass transport inside a biofilm which was too thick for photon based imaging. MRI was used to map water diffusion and image the transport of the paramagnetically tagged macromolecule, Gd-DTPA, inside a 2.5 mm thick cyanobacterial biofilm. The structural heterogeneity of the biofilm was imaged at resolutions down to 22 × 22 μm, enabling the impact of biofilm architecture on the mass transport of both water and Gd-DTPA to be investigated. Higher density areas of the biofilm correlated with areas exhibiting lower relative water diffusion coefficients and slower transport of Gd-DTPA, highlighting the impact of biofilm structure on mass transport phenomena. This approach has potential for shedding light on heterogeneous mass transport of a range of molecular mass molecules in biofilms.
ISSN:0343-8651
1432-0991
DOI:10.1007/s00284-012-0292-3