Pub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.014
Kefa Hu , Zhipeng Qi , Xiaode Huang , Lei Wang , Xiaomeng Zhang , Shaoheng Tang
Lavandulol and its acetate ester, lavandulyl acetate, are valuable irregular monoterpenes found in lavender essential oil, widely utilized in the food and cosmetic industries. Due to the limitations of extraction from natural plant resources, developing sustainable microbial cell factories for their production is of great interest. Here, we report the first de novo biosynthesis of lavandulol and lavandulyl acetate in Escherichia coli. Initially, a heterologous mevalonate (MVA) pathway was coupled with lavandulyl diphosphate synthase (LPPS) to establish the biosynthetic route from glycerol. To relieve pathway bottlenecks, we overexpressed the endogenous dITP/XTP pyrophosphatase RdgB, which efficiently facilitated the dephosphorylation of the precursor lavandulyl diphosphate (LPP), increasing lavandulol titers to 42.87 mg/L. Subsequently, the alcohol acyltransferase ATF1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae was identified as the most effective enzyme for acetylating lavandulol. By integrating ATF1 into the pathway and optimizing both the host strain and fermentation process, we achieved a final lavandulyl acetate titer of 89.43 mg/L. This study establishes a promising prokaryotic platform for the efficient biosynthesis of high-value irregular monoterpenes.
{"title":"De novo biosynthesis of lavandulol and lavandulyl acetate in Escherichia coli","authors":"Kefa Hu , Zhipeng Qi , Xiaode Huang , Lei Wang , Xiaomeng Zhang , Shaoheng Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lavandulol and its acetate ester, lavandulyl acetate, are valuable irregular monoterpenes found in lavender essential oil, widely utilized in the food and cosmetic industries. Due to the limitations of extraction from natural plant resources, developing sustainable microbial cell factories for their production is of great interest. Here, we report the first de novo biosynthesis of lavandulol and lavandulyl acetate in <em>Escherichia coli</em>. Initially, a heterologous mevalonate (MVA) pathway was coupled with lavandulyl diphosphate synthase (LPPS) to establish the biosynthetic route from glycerol. To relieve pathway bottlenecks, we overexpressed the endogenous dITP/XTP pyrophosphatase RdgB, which efficiently facilitated the dephosphorylation of the precursor lavandulyl diphosphate (LPP), increasing lavandulol titers to 42.87 mg/L. Subsequently, the alcohol acyltransferase ATF1 from <em>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em> was identified as the most effective enzyme for acetylating lavandulol. By integrating ATF1 into the pathway and optimizing both the host strain and fermentation process, we achieved a final lavandulyl acetate titer of 89.43 mg/L. This study establishes a promising prokaryotic platform for the efficient biosynthesis of high-value irregular monoterpenes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of biotechnology","volume":"411 ","pages":"Pages 144-151"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Streptomyces-derived melanins exhibit diverse bioactive properties. This study aims to (1) produce melanin production from Streptomyces bottropensis SY8 (GenBank accesion number: PQ565816), (2) characterize the melanin, and (3) investigate its bioactive properties (toxicity and irritancy as well as invitro wound healing and anti-skin aging activities). Under optimized culture conditions, melanin production of 3.26 g/L was achieved in shaking flask cultures of the bacterium. The purified melanin was characterized as eumelanin. Compared to the control (Vitamin C), the purified melanin was found to have moderate antioxidant activity in radical scavenging assays. It did not cause toxicity on fibroblast cell line and irritancy in HET-CAM test (hen's egg test on chorioallantoic membrane test). The melanin reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cell senescence induced by H2O2 or UV in fibroblast cells, indicating its anti-skin aging potential. When compared the control (melanin free), the melanin doses of 500 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL caused increments of 17.59 % and 24.53 % in wound closure ratios at the end of the 24th hour, respectively. This is the first report on melanin production from S. bottropensis. Besides, in vitro wound healing and anti-skin aging activities of Streptomyces-derived melanins were investigated for the first time. Furthermore, HET-CAM test was used for the first time to analyze irritancy property of melanins. The results of this study indicate that S. bottropensis SY8-derived eumelanin can be exploited as an ingredient of anti-aging creams or wound dressings.
{"title":"Streptomyces bottropensis SY8-derived eumelanin exhibits skin wound healing activity and prevents H2O2 or UV-induced skin aging","authors":"Sevval Yildirim , Buket Bakan , Meryem Doymus , Seydanur Elmas , Nazli Pinar Arslan , Mesut Taskin","doi":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Streptomyces</em>-derived melanins exhibit diverse bioactive properties. This study aims to (1) produce melanin production from <em>Streptomyces bottropensis</em> SY8 (GenBank accesion number: PQ565816), (2) characterize the melanin, and (3) investigate its bioactive properties (toxicity and irritancy as well as <em>invitro</em> wound healing and anti-skin aging activities). Under optimized culture conditions, melanin production of 3.26 g/L was achieved in shaking flask cultures of the bacterium. The purified melanin was characterized as eumelanin. Compared to the control (Vitamin C), the purified melanin was found to have moderate antioxidant activity in radical scavenging assays. It did not cause toxicity on fibroblast cell line and irritancy in HET-CAM test (hen's egg test on chorioallantoic membrane test). The melanin reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cell senescence induced by H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> or UV in fibroblast cells, indicating its anti-skin aging potential. When compared the control (melanin free), the melanin doses of 500 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL caused increments of 17.59 % and 24.53 % in wound closure ratios at the end of the 24th hour, respectively. This is the first report on melanin production from <em>S. bottropensis</em>. Besides, <em>in vitro</em> wound healing and anti-skin aging activities of <em>Streptomyces</em>-derived melanins were investigated for the first time. Furthermore, HET-CAM test was used for the first time to analyze irritancy property of melanins. The results of this study indicate that <em>S. bottropensis</em> SY8-derived eumelanin can be exploited as an ingredient of anti-aging creams or wound dressings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of biotechnology","volume":"411 ","pages":"Pages 40-53"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036093","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.006
Shijin Luo , Deshan Wang , Kaige Yang , Hui Ye , Yingxia Sun , Zhiguo Qi , Jianjun Zuo , Tieying Zhang
A keratin-degrading bacterium, Bacillus licheniformis CP-16 (B.licheniformis CP-16), isolated from feather waste, was found to produce three extracellular proteins with protease activity. Following mass spectrometry sequencing and BLAST analysis, these proteins exhibited high similarity to γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline serine protease and thioredoxin-like protein YkuU, respectively. Genes of the three proteins and Ker A from B.licheniformis were successfully cloned into pET22b and expressed in Escherichia coli (E coli), and the four recombinant enzymes were named P-Glu, P-Alk, P-Trx, and P-Ker. P-ker showed great keratinase activity (4.9 kU/mg) and casein protease activity (6.5 kU/mg), as P-Alk showed keratinase activity (1.2 kU/mg) and casein protease activity (23 kU/mg). In contrast, both P-Glu and P-Trx displayed low levels of keratinase and casein protease activities. P-Trx had disulfide bond reductase activity (3 U/mg). When mixing with P-Trx, the other three proteases, P-Glu, P-Alk, P-Ker degraded feather keratin with keratinase activity promotion of 71 %, 40 % and 71 %. Commercial proteases (trypsin and chymotrypsin) also got keratinolytic capacity after mixing with P-Trx. These findings reveal a novel synergistic mechanism between P-Trx and other proteases in the degradation of feather keratin, leading to more efficient keratin breakdown.
{"title":"Couple action of some proteases from feather keratin-degrading bacterium B.licheniformis CP-16","authors":"Shijin Luo , Deshan Wang , Kaige Yang , Hui Ye , Yingxia Sun , Zhiguo Qi , Jianjun Zuo , Tieying Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A keratin-degrading bacterium, <em>Bacillus licheniformis</em> CP-16 (<em>B.licheniformis</em> CP-16), isolated from feather waste, was found to produce three extracellular proteins with protease activity. Following mass spectrometry sequencing and BLAST analysis, these proteins exhibited high similarity to γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline serine protease and thioredoxin-like protein YkuU, respectively. Genes of the three proteins and Ker A from <em>B.licheniformis</em> were successfully cloned into pET22b and expressed in <em>Escherichia coli</em> (<em>E coli</em>), and the four recombinant enzymes were named P-Glu, P-Alk, P-Trx, and P-Ker. P-ker showed great keratinase activity (4.9 kU/mg) and casein protease activity (6.5 kU/mg), as P-Alk showed keratinase activity (1.2 kU/mg) and casein protease activity (23 kU/mg). In contrast, both P-Glu and P-Trx displayed low levels of keratinase and casein protease activities. P-Trx had disulfide bond reductase activity (3 U/mg). When mixing with P-Trx, the other three proteases, P-Glu, P-Alk, P-Ker degraded feather keratin with keratinase activity promotion of 71 %, 40 % and 71 %. Commercial proteases (trypsin and chymotrypsin) also got keratinolytic capacity after mixing with P-Trx. These findings reveal a novel synergistic mechanism between P-Trx and other proteases in the degradation of feather keratin, leading to more efficient keratin breakdown.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of biotechnology","volume":"411 ","pages":"Pages 130-143"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145989140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.012
Michaela Dölle , Maxime Hervé , Staffan Königsson , Peter Thorwid , Johan Rockberg , Véronique Chotteau
Continuous centrifugation is a well-established method for clarifying mammalian cell cultures, but traditional batch-based approaches often fall short of modern biomanufacturing’s scalability and flexibility demands. Increasing variability in product volumes and manufacturing setups calls for adaptable, scalable solutions. To address this, we developed a scaled-down continuous centrifuge (“Mini”) based on a commercial disc-stack centrifuge, facilitating efficient early-stage development and improving technology transfer and scale-up. This study demonstrates the Mini’s potential to bridge the gap between small-scale optimization and industrial-scale centrifugation. Proof-of-concept experiments with Chinese hamster ovary cell culture confirmed its separation efficiency, achieving low turbidity, high product recovery (up to 98.5%), and minimal cell stress. Lactate dehydrogenase activity remained low, with a maximum increase in host cell proteins of 11.9% across various operating conditions. Validation experiments against the pilot-scale Culture One™ Primo showed comparable or superior turbidity reduction and lower lactate dehydrogenase activity, highlighting the Mini’s gentle cell handling. The Mini enables continuous small-scale centrifugation while replicating key performance parameters of the pilot-scale system, ensuring accurate performance predictions and reliable scale-up. It provides a scalable, flexible solution that meets the evolving needs of modern biomanufacturing for efficient and adaptable clarification processes.
{"title":"Efficiency and scalability in harvesting mammalian cell cultures: A scale-down approach to continuous centrifugation","authors":"Michaela Dölle , Maxime Hervé , Staffan Königsson , Peter Thorwid , Johan Rockberg , Véronique Chotteau","doi":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.012","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.012","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Continuous centrifugation is a well-established method for clarifying mammalian cell cultures, but traditional batch-based approaches often fall short of modern biomanufacturing’s scalability and flexibility demands. Increasing variability in product volumes and manufacturing setups calls for adaptable, scalable solutions. To address this, we developed a scaled-down continuous centrifuge (“Mini”) based on a commercial disc-stack centrifuge, facilitating efficient early-stage development and improving technology transfer and scale-up. This study demonstrates the Mini’s potential to bridge the gap between small-scale optimization and industrial-scale centrifugation. Proof-of-concept experiments with Chinese hamster ovary cell culture confirmed its separation efficiency, achieving low turbidity, high product recovery (up to 98.5%), and minimal cell stress. Lactate dehydrogenase activity remained low, with a maximum increase in host cell proteins of 11.9% across various operating conditions. Validation experiments against the pilot-scale Culture One™ Primo showed comparable or superior turbidity reduction and lower lactate dehydrogenase activity, highlighting the Mini’s gentle cell handling. The Mini enables continuous small-scale centrifugation while replicating key performance parameters of the pilot-scale system, ensuring accurate performance predictions and reliable scale-up. It provides a scalable, flexible solution that meets the evolving needs of modern biomanufacturing for efficient and adaptable clarification processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of biotechnology","volume":"411 ","pages":"Pages 89-101"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this study, the structure and biological properties of melanin pigment produced by Streptomyces strain SEA5 isolated from Persian Gulf sediments were investigated. This strain was cultured in an enriched culture medium (L-tyrosine, meat extract). Pigment production was also performed in culture media containing different sources of amino acid L-tyrosine such as soybean meal. Pigment extraction was performed using hydrochloric acid (6 M). In order to investigate its physicochemical nature, TLC, HPLC, UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR and 1 H NMR analysis was performed. On the other hand, strong UV absorption with SPF, antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity assay of this pigment were also studied. The results showed that strain SEA5 was well grown and melanized well (1.5 g/L) in medium containing L-tyrosine. It was 1.36 g/L when cultured in medium containing soybean meal. The UV–vis spectrum had an absorption peak at 225 nm. FTIR identified the functional groups of eumelanin with very high peaks at 3414.46 cm-1 (N-H group) and 1650–1540 cm-1 (CO and CN vibrations). Also, the 1HNMR spectrum showed several peaks between 6.9 and 8.0 ppm, indicating aromatic protons. On the other hand, the extracted pigment had an SPF of 22.55 and showed significant antioxidant activity with 60–77 % reduction of DPPH radicals. The pigment in the formulation selectively inhibited the growth of A375 melanoma cells (IC50- 79.82 μg/mL), whilst it was non-toxic when tested against normal human dermal fibroblasts and HaCaT keratinocytes. Overall, these findings suggest the potential of SEA5-derived melanin as a human skin care product, pharmaceutical product and antioxidant material.
{"title":"Marine-derived Streptomyces sp. isolated from the Persian Gulf as a novel source of melanin","authors":"Seyed Muhammad Hamid Malekpour , Moj Khaleghi , Alireza Akhtarpoor , Mostafa Pournamdari , Hoda KeshmiriNeghab , Farideh MohammadHosseinZadeh","doi":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, the structure and biological properties of melanin pigment produced by Streptomyces strain SEA5 isolated from Persian Gulf sediments were investigated. This strain was cultured in an enriched culture medium (<span>L</span>-tyrosine, meat extract). Pigment production was also performed in culture media containing different sources of amino acid <span>L</span>-tyrosine such as soybean meal. Pigment extraction was performed using hydrochloric acid (6 M). In order to investigate its physicochemical nature, TLC, HPLC, UV-Vis spectroscopy, FTIR and 1 H NMR analysis was performed. On the other hand, strong UV absorption with SPF, antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity assay of this pigment were also studied. The results showed that strain SEA5 was well grown and melanized well (1.5 g/L) in medium containing <span>L</span>-tyrosine. It was 1.36 g/L when cultured in medium containing soybean meal. The UV–vis spectrum had an absorption peak at 225 nm. FTIR identified the functional groups of eumelanin with very high peaks at 3414.46 cm-1 (N-H group) and 1650–1540 cm-1 (C<img>O and C<img>N vibrations). Also, the <sup>1</sup>HNMR spectrum showed several peaks between 6.9 and 8.0 ppm, indicating aromatic protons. On the other hand, the extracted pigment had an SPF of 22.55 and showed significant antioxidant activity with 60–77 % reduction of DPPH radicals. The pigment in the formulation selectively inhibited the growth of A375 melanoma cells (IC50- 79.82 μg/mL), whilst it was non-toxic when tested against normal human dermal fibroblasts and HaCaT keratinocytes. Overall, these findings suggest the potential of SEA5-derived melanin as a human skin care product, pharmaceutical product and antioxidant material.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of biotechnology","volume":"411 ","pages":"Pages 78-88"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145989190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Streptokinase (SK), a widely used thrombolytic agent, activates human plasminogen, which in turn dissolves blood clots. However, its clinical application is limited because it elicits immunogenic responses in patients. The present study aims to develop novel plasminogen activators derived from truncated fragments of SK that retain activity comparable to the full-length SK enzyme. Based on the structure-function relationships and the previous literature, ten fragments of SK were designed by systematically truncating the N- and C-terminal regions and the central β-domain. These fragments included variants lacking N-terminal residues (amino acids 1–24 or 1–37), C-terminal truncations (beyond amino acid 300) and segments focused on the central domain (starting at amino acid 130 or ending at 173). Fragments were expressed in E. coli and their plasminogen activation activity was evaluated. The experimental results indicated that fragments containing an intact N1 domain retained a high level of plasminogen activation activity (fragments 1–300, 1–173), while deletion of key N-terminal residues significantly reduced it. C-terminal fragments partially compensated for N-terminal loss (fragment 130–414), but overall activity remained lower. Molecular modelling studies of protein–protein complex interface analyses revealed that the N1 domain (residues 1–173) of SK constitutes the principal binding interface with HPlg, with specific N-terminal residues serving as interaction hotspots. Residue-level contact mapping correlated strongly with experimental activity, underscoring the importance of precise interface residues rather than overall domain-level contact coverage. The study identifies SK fragments 1–300, 1–173 and 130–414 as having substantial activity comparable to full-length SK, suggesting that these constructs could serve as the basis for novel thrombolytic drug candidates pending further immunogenicity evaluation. These interesting findings provide both structural and functional insights for the rational design of improved streptokinase-derived therapeutics.
{"title":"Integrative experimental and computational approach for the development of novel plasminogen activators from truncated streptokinase fragments","authors":"Vijay Gunasekaran , Suthakaran Pichaimuthu , Vigneshwaran Namasivayam , V. Ponnusami","doi":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Streptokinase (SK), a widely used thrombolytic agent, activates human plasminogen, which in turn dissolves blood clots. However, its clinical application is limited because it elicits immunogenic responses in patients. The present study aims to develop novel plasminogen activators derived from truncated fragments of SK that retain activity comparable to the full-length SK enzyme. Based on the structure-function relationships and the previous literature, ten fragments of SK were designed by systematically truncating the N- and C-terminal regions and the central β-domain. These fragments included variants lacking N-terminal residues (amino acids 1–24 or 1–37), C-terminal truncations (beyond amino acid 300) and segments focused on the central domain (starting at amino acid 130 or ending at 173). Fragments were expressed in <em>E. coli</em> and their plasminogen activation activity was evaluated. The experimental results indicated that fragments containing an intact N1 domain retained a high level of plasminogen activation activity (fragments 1–300, 1–173), while deletion of key N-terminal residues significantly reduced it. C-terminal fragments partially compensated for N-terminal loss (fragment 130–414), but overall activity remained lower. Molecular modelling studies of protein–protein complex interface analyses revealed that the N1 domain (residues 1–173) of SK constitutes the principal binding interface with HPlg, with specific N-terminal residues serving as interaction hotspots. Residue-level contact mapping correlated strongly with experimental activity, underscoring the importance of precise interface residues rather than overall domain-level contact coverage. The study identifies SK fragments 1–300, 1–173 and 130–414 as having substantial activity comparable to full-length SK, suggesting that these constructs could serve as the basis for novel thrombolytic drug candidates pending further immunogenicity evaluation. These interesting findings provide both structural and functional insights for the rational design of improved streptokinase-derived therapeutics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of biotechnology","volume":"411 ","pages":"Pages 29-39"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145997740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-21DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.008
Priya S.A., Nevaditha N.T.
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites reinforced with various natural fibers have been extensively investigated for biomedical applications. However, the use of nut grass-derived cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) remains unexplored in the current literature. This study presents the development of PLA nanocomposites reinforced with CNFs extracted from nut grass for biomedical applications. The PLA matrix was chemically modified using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and plasticized with castor oil. SEM analysis revealed uniform dispersion of CNFs at lower concentrations, leading to improved film morphology. XRD analysis indicated a CNF particle size of approximately 26 nm. Mechanical testing showed significant enhancements in material strength, with tensile strength and Young’s modulus increasing by 97.1 % and 113.9 %, respectively. The nanocomposites showed greater degradation in alkaline than acidic medium due to accelerated hydrolysis. Antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa increased with CNF content. Hemolysis assays revealed reduced red blood cell damage compared to plain PLA, indicating favorable hemocompatibility. Additionally, MTT assay confirmed low cytotoxicity of the nanocomposites toward PBMC cells. These results demonstrate the potential of PLA nanocomposites as biocompatible, multifunctional materials suitable for applications in implants, wound healing and regenerative medicine.
{"title":"Antibacterial nut grass cellulose reinforced polylactic acid nanocomposites: A holistic assessment for biomedical scaffolds","authors":"Priya S.A., Nevaditha N.T.","doi":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites reinforced with various natural fibers have been extensively investigated for biomedical applications. However, the use of nut grass-derived cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) remains unexplored in the current literature. This study presents the development of PLA nanocomposites reinforced with CNFs extracted from nut grass for biomedical applications. The PLA matrix was chemically modified using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and plasticized with castor oil. SEM analysis revealed uniform dispersion of CNFs at lower concentrations, leading to improved film morphology. XRD analysis indicated a CNF particle size of approximately 26 nm. Mechanical testing showed significant enhancements in material strength, with tensile strength and Young’s modulus increasing by 97.1 % and 113.9 %, respectively. The nanocomposites showed greater degradation in alkaline than acidic medium due to accelerated hydrolysis. Antibacterial activity against <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> and <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em> increased with CNF content. Hemolysis assays revealed reduced red blood cell damage compared to plain PLA, indicating favorable hemocompatibility. Additionally, MTT assay confirmed low cytotoxicity of the nanocomposites toward PBMC cells. These results demonstrate the potential of PLA nanocomposites as biocompatible, multifunctional materials suitable for applications in implants, wound healing and regenerative medicine.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of biotechnology","volume":"411 ","pages":"Pages 54-65"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146040224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Soil salinization poses a critical threat to agricultural productivity, particularly in the Mediterranean regions where olive cultivation is of major economic and ecological significance. This study investigates the potential of phenolic extracts derived from olive mill solid waste (OMSW) to enhance salt stress tolerance in Olea europaea L. cv. Koroneiki. One-year-old olive plants were subjected to six treatments: a non-stressed control (C), phenolic extract application under non-stress conditions (C + PE-OMSW), OMSW amendment under non-stress conditions (C + OMSW), salt stress induced by 100 mM NaCl (SS), salt stress combined with phenolic extract (SS + PE-OMSW), and salt stress combined with OMSW (SS + OMSW). A comprehensive physiological and biochemical evaluation was conducted, including measurements of vegetative growth, relative water content, membrane stability, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic pigments, oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide), osmoprotectants (proline and soluble sugars), total polyphenols, flavonoids, and leaf mineral content. Application of phenolic extract under saline conditions (SS + PE-OMSW) markedly improved plant performance by enhancing water status, preserving membrane integrity, and increasing chlorophyll fluorescence efficiency. These plants also exhibited higher polyphenols and flavonoids accumulation, along with significant reductions in oxidative stress markers, suggesting enhanced antioxidant defenses. Elevated levels of proline and soluble sugars further indicated an adaptive osmotic adjustment to salinity. These results demonstrate the efficacy of OMSW-derived phenolic extracts as sustainable biostimulants capable of mitigating salt stress through integrated physiological and biochemical mechanisms. This valorization pathway offers a promising approach to recycling agro-industrial residues into high-value agricultural inputs, contributing to climate-resilient and circular bioeconomy-based crop production systems.
土壤盐碱化对农业生产力构成严重威胁，特别是在橄榄树种植具有重大经济和生态意义的地中海地区。本研究探讨了橄榄厂固体废物（OMSW）酚类提取物提高油橄榄（Olea europaea L. cv）耐盐性的潜力。Koroneiki。对1年生橄榄植株进行6个处理：无胁迫对照(C)、无胁迫条件下施用酚类提取物（C + PE-OMSW）、无胁迫条件下添加OMSW （C + OMSW）、100 mM NaCl诱导盐胁迫（SS）、盐胁迫+酚类提取物（SS + PE-OMSW）、盐胁迫+ OMSW （SS + OMSW）。进行了全面的生理生化评价，包括营养生长、相对含水量、膜稳定性、叶绿素荧光、光合色素、氧化应激标志物（丙二醛和过氧化氢）、渗透保护剂（脯氨酸和可溶性糖）、总多酚、类黄酮和叶片矿物质含量的测定。在生理盐水条件下施用酚提取物（SS + PE-OMSW），通过改善水分状态、保持膜完整性和提高叶绿素荧光效率，显著改善了植物的生产性能。这些植物还表现出更高的多酚和类黄酮积累，以及氧化应激标志物的显著减少，表明抗氧化防御能力增强。脯氨酸和可溶性糖水平的升高进一步表明了对盐度的适应性渗透调节。这些结果表明，omsw衍生的酚类提取物作为一种可持续的生物刺激剂，能够通过综合的生理和生化机制缓解盐胁迫。这一增值途径为将农业工业残留物循环利用为高价值农业投入物提供了一种有希望的方法，有助于建立适应气候变化和基于循环生物经济的作物生产系统。
{"title":"Multilevel agro-physiological and biochemical alleviation of salt stress in Olea europaea via phenolic-rich extracts from olive mill waste","authors":"Samia Abboud , Nada Ammar , Azhar Ouni , Mourad Jellali , Darine Tlili , Sahar Ben Abdelwaheb , Amani Bchir , Soumaya Dbara","doi":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil salinization poses a critical threat to agricultural productivity, particularly in the Mediterranean regions where olive cultivation is of major economic and ecological significance. This study investigates the potential of phenolic extracts derived from olive mill solid waste (OMSW) to enhance salt stress tolerance in Olea europaea L. cv. Koroneiki. One-year-old olive plants were subjected to six treatments: a non-stressed control (C), phenolic extract application under non-stress conditions (C + PE-OMSW), OMSW amendment under non-stress conditions (C + OMSW), salt stress induced by 100 mM NaCl (SS), salt stress combined with phenolic extract (SS + PE-OMSW), and salt stress combined with OMSW (SS + OMSW). A comprehensive physiological and biochemical evaluation was conducted, including measurements of vegetative growth, relative water content, membrane stability, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic pigments, oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide), osmoprotectants (proline and soluble sugars), total polyphenols, flavonoids, and leaf mineral content. Application of phenolic extract under saline conditions (SS + PE-OMSW) markedly improved plant performance by enhancing water status, preserving membrane integrity, and increasing chlorophyll fluorescence efficiency. These plants also exhibited higher polyphenols and flavonoids accumulation, along with significant reductions in oxidative stress markers, suggesting enhanced antioxidant defenses. Elevated levels of proline and soluble sugars further indicated an adaptive osmotic adjustment to salinity. These results demonstrate the efficacy of OMSW-derived phenolic extracts as sustainable biostimulants capable of mitigating salt stress through integrated physiological and biochemical mechanisms. This valorization pathway offers a promising approach to recycling agro-industrial residues into high-value agricultural inputs, contributing to climate-resilient and circular bioeconomy-based crop production systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of biotechnology","volume":"411 ","pages":"Pages 116-129"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-25DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.010
Sneha Banerjee, Sreeja Vangapally, Anna Mariya, Bhaskar Paidimuddala
Bispecific nanobodies are the emerging class of engineered nanobodies with great scope for targeted therapy due to their small size, high stability, extended half-life, and dual antigenic recognition properties. They can bind to two different antigens simultaneously which significantly improves the therapeutic index in the treatment of various diseases. To achieve enhanced binding avidity, specificity and minimal off-target effects, the bispecific nanobodies have been further subjected to advanced engineering strategies such as site-specific combinations, fusions and multivalent formats. The recombinant production of bispecific nanobodies has been tested in bacterial, yeast and mammalian expression platforms to facilitate their large-scale production and cost-effective clinical applications. This review exclusively focuses on recent progress in the design and development of bispecific nanobodies. It presents the engineering of nanobodies into bispecific formats, their design, expression strategies and therapeutic outcomes. It also discusses the recent preclinical and clinical developments of bispecific nanobodies focusing on tackling half-life extension problems, reducing immunogenicity and optimal delivery modalities. Overall, with the promising scope of bispecific nanobodies as targeted therapies, their acceptance into mainstream medicine holds great promise for precision and personalized therapeutic approaches for the effective treatment of various infections, cancers, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.
{"title":"Bispecific nanobodies – promising engineered candidates with high therapeutic efficiency","authors":"Sneha Banerjee, Sreeja Vangapally, Anna Mariya, Bhaskar Paidimuddala","doi":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jbiotec.2026.01.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bispecific nanobodies are the emerging class of engineered nanobodies with great scope for targeted therapy due to their small size, high stability, extended half-life, and dual antigenic recognition properties. They can bind to two different antigens simultaneously which significantly improves the therapeutic index in the treatment of various diseases. To achieve enhanced binding avidity, specificity and minimal off-target effects, the bispecific nanobodies have been further subjected to advanced engineering strategies such as site-specific combinations, fusions and multivalent formats. The recombinant production of bispecific nanobodies has been tested in bacterial, yeast and mammalian expression platforms to facilitate their large-scale production and cost-effective clinical applications. This review exclusively focuses on recent progress in the design and development of bispecific nanobodies. It presents the engineering of nanobodies into bispecific formats, their design, expression strategies and therapeutic outcomes. It also discusses the recent preclinical and clinical developments of bispecific nanobodies focusing on tackling half-life extension problems, reducing immunogenicity and optimal delivery modalities. Overall, with the promising scope of bispecific nanobodies as targeted therapies, their acceptance into mainstream medicine holds great promise for precision and personalized therapeutic approaches for the effective treatment of various infections, cancers, autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":15153,"journal":{"name":"Journal of biotechnology","volume":"411 ","pages":"Pages 102-115"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146063078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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