Nanobiotechnologies are a rapidly growing field that offers new opportunities thus far unknown including regulation processes at a nano level. The biodetoxification and mechanisms of degradation of many xenobiotics have been studied and are well documented. There remains the important issue of the impact of nanomodulators on biodetoxification processes and their potential to optimize and regulate biodegradation of recalcitrant xenobiotics. The purpose of the present study is to clarify in comparative terms the effect of carbon nanoparticles (single-walled nanotubes and nanodiamonds) on these processes. In order to achieve this objective analogous modeling of biodegradation processes was performed. The experiment was conducted in simplified conditions, using a microbial culture of Pseudomonas sp. We observed the influence of nanodiamonds (ND) and single-walled nanotubes (SWNT) on the basic kinetic parameters and key oxygenase enzymes of the bacteria from the genus Pseudomonas in the course of a model phenol biodegradation process. The results confirm the stimulating effect of ND on the initial stages of the biodetoxification processes. In comparison to the control variant there was an increase in the specific rate of phenol biodegradation (154%) and in the effectiveness of phenol elimination (151%). ND increase the activities of phenol-2-monooxygenase and catechol-2,3-dioxygenase respectively by 63,91% and 63,94% in comparison to the control variant. Under the same conditions SWNT have positive influence on the catechol-1,2-dioxygenase activity by 30,12% in comparison to the control. The data from this study are optimistic in relation to the future application of carbon nanoparticles, such as specific nanomodulators in bioremediation technologies for sediments, activated sludge, compost and other resources, polluted with xenobiotics.
Keywords: Nanobiotechnolkogies; Nanodiamonds; Single-Walled Nanotubes; Biodetoxification; Wastewaters; Pseudomonas sp.; Oxygenases; Phenol.