Microbial biosurfactants: current trends and applications in agricultural and biomedical industries

Synthetic surfactants are becoming increasingly unpopular in many applications due to previously disregarded effects on biological systems and this has led to a new focus on replacing such products with biosurfactants that are biodegradable and produced from renewal resources. Microbially derived biosurfactants have been investigated in numerous studies in areas including: increasing feed digestibility in an agricultural context, improving seed protection and fertility, plant pathogen control, antimicrobial activity, antibiofilm activity, wound healing and dermatological care, improved oral cavity care, drug delivery systems and anticancer treatments. The development of the potential of biosurfactants has been hindered somewhat by the myriad of approaches taken in their investigations, the focus on pathogens as source species and the costs associated with large-scale production. Here, we focus on various microbial sources of biosurfactants and the current trends in terms of agricultural and biomedical applications.     

Chemical Composition of Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens Flower Absolute and Its Beneficial Effects on Skin Wound Healing and Melanogenesis-Related Cell Activities

Miscanthus sinensis var. purpurascens (MSP, flame grass) is found in Korea, Japan, and China, and its biological activities include anti-cancer, detoxifying, vasodilatory, antipyretic, and diuretic effects. However, no study has investigated the effects of MSP on skin-related biological activities. In this study, we explored the effects of the absolute extracted from the MSP flowers (MSPFAb) on skin wound healing- and whitening-related responses in keratinocytes or melanocytes. MSPFAb contained 6 components and induced the proliferation, migration, and syntheses of type I and IV collagens in keratinocytes. MSPFAb also increased the phosphorylations of serine/threonine-specific protein kinase, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 in keratinocytes. In addition, treatment with MSPFAb decreased serum-induced melanoma cell proliferation and inhibited tyrosinase activity and melanin contents in α-MSH-stimulated melanoma cells. Taken together, this study indicates MSPFAb may promote wound healing- and whitening-associated activities in dermal cells, and suggests that it has potential use as a wound healing and skin whitening agent.     

Piper crocatum Ruiz & Pav. ameliorates wound healing through p53, E-cadherin and SOD1 pathways on wounded hyperglycemia fibroblasts

IntroductionPiper crocatum Ruiz & Pav (P. crocatum) has been reported to accelerate the diabetic wound healing process empirically. Some studies showed the benefits of P. crocatum in treating various diseases but its mechanisms in diabetic wound healing have never been reported. In the present study we investigated the diabetic wound healing activity of the active fraction of P. crocatum on wounded hyperglycemia fibroblasts (wHFs).MethodsBioassay-guided fractionation was performed to get the most active fraction. The selected active fraction was applied to wHFs within 72 h incubation. Mimicking a diabetic condition was done using basal glucose media containing an additional 17 mMol/L D-glucose. A wound was simulated via the scratch assay. The collagen deposition was measured using Picro-Sirius Red and wound closure was measured using scratch wound assay. Underlying mechanisms through p53, αSMA, SOD1 and E-cadherin were measured using western blotting.ResultsWe reported that F_IV is the most active fraction of P. crocatum. We confirmed that F_IV\(7.81 µg/ml, 15.62 µg/ml, 31.25 µg/ml, 62.5 µg/ml, and 125 µg/ml) induced the collagen deposition and wound closure of wHFs. Furthermore, F_IV treatment (7.81 µg/ml, 15.62 µg/ml, 31.25 µg/ml) down-regulated the protein expression level of p53 and up-regulated the protein expression levels of αSMA, E-cadherin, and SOD1.Discussion/conclusionsOur findings suggest that ameliorating collagen deposition and wound closure through protein regulation of p53, αSMA, E-cadherin, and SOD1 are some of the mechanisms by which F_IV of P. crocatum is involved in diabetic wound healing therapy.     

Egg White peptide KPHAEVVLR promotes skin fibroblasts migration and mice skin wound healing by stimulating cell membrane Hsp90α secretion

Egg white peptides are well known for their abundant species and biological properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of egg white peptides on skin wound healing. We hydrolyzed the egg white powder using Alcalase and flavourzyme. Our transwell cell migration assay data showed that EWP2, which is one of the four fractions obtained from Sephadex G-15 isolation, promoted human skin fibroblast HSF cells migration. LC–MS/MS analysis results showed EWP2 were consist of 24 high abundant peptides. We randomly chose and synthesized four of these 24 peptides. Transwell assay data displayed that the egg white peptide KPHAEVVLR (KR-9) increased 8.2-fold of HSF cells migration at 200 μM compared with control. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sμlfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay results showed KR-9 did not lead to HSF cells over-proliferation. In vivo animal experiment data proved that KR-9 accelerated 50 % and 136 % mice skin wound healing rate at 50 μM and 100 μM. Furthermore, we explored the mechanism of KR-9. Our western blot and immunofluorescence results showed KR-9 enhanced the protein level of cell membrane heat shock protein 90α (Hsp90α). Thus, we conclude that egg white peptide KR-9 promotes skin fibroblasts migration and mice skin wound healing by stimulating cell membrane Hsp90α secretion.     

Cycling progenitors maintain epithelia while diverse cell types contribute to repair

It has recently been shown that stem and progenitor cells undergo population self‐renewal to maintain epithelial homeostasis. The fate of individual cells is stochastic but the production of proliferating and differentiating cells is balanced across the population. This new paradigm, originating in mouse epidermis and since extended to mouse oesophagus and mouse and Drosophila intestine, is in contrast to the long held model of epithelial maintenance by exclusively asymmetric division of stem cells. Recent lineage tracing studies have now shown that wound responses vary between tissues, and that a stem cell reserve is not essential as cycling progenitors and even differentiating cells contribute to regeneration.     

Actin is present in a green alga that lacks cytoplasmic streaming

Summary Negative-staining of crude cytoplasmic extracts from cells of the green algaErnodesmis verticillata reveals the presence of numerous microfilaments. Rabbit skeletal muscle heavy-meromyosin binds to the microfilaments (in the absence of ATP) in typical arrowhead arrays. These results demonstrate that actin is present in this alga and it is suggested that actin may be involved in cytoplasmic contractions effecting wound healing, since cytoplasmic streaming does not occur in this organism.     

Mitochondrial metabolism coordinates stage-specific repair processes in macrophages during wound healing

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