Encapsulating living cells within porous crystalline materials has emerged as a powerful strategy for improving cellular stability in chemically or physically harsh conditions. In this study, individual yeast cells were encapsulated with a zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) crystals via a biomimetic self-assembly process. Morphological analysis using electron microscopy confirmed the successful formation of a uniform and continuous protective shell around each cell. To evaluate the cytoprotective effect of the ZIF-8 coating, the encapsulated yeast cells were exposed to a range of pH conditions (pH 2~12). Fluorescence microscopy using fluorescein diacetate (FDA) staining revealed that over 50 % of the ZIF-8 encapsulated cells remained viable in alkaline environments (pH 8, 10, and 12), whereas non-encapsulated yeast cells showed 0 % viability across all tested conditions. The enhanced survival in alkaline media was attributed to the stability of the crystalline ZIF-8 shell, which remained partially intact and provided structural protection. In contrast, acidic conditions degraded the ZIF-8 shell, leading to cell membrane rupture and loss of viability. These findings demonstrate that ZIF-8 encapsulation can significantly improve the chemical resilience and survival of living yeast cells. This strategy holds great promise for applications in long-term cell preservation, transport, and pH-responsive biotechnological systems.

Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Experimental Procedure
    2.1. Materials and instrumentation
    2.2. Experimental
3. Results and Discussion
4. Conclusion
Acknowledgement
References
Author Information

• Mi Jin Park(Department of Chemistry, Hannam University, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea)
• Sang Eun Hong(Department of Chemistry, Hannam University, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea)
• Woon Jung Kim(Department of Chemistry, Hannam University, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea)
• Kuk Ro Yoon(Department of Chemistry, Hannam University, Daejeon 34054, Republic of Korea) Corresponding author
• Sang Yeong Han(Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea)