Enhanced Large-Scale Production of Hahella chejuensis-Derived Prodigiosin and Evaluation of Its Bioactivity

Abstract

Prodigiosin from the prodiginines family is a typical secondary metabolite produced during the microbial idiophase, and is a red-pigmented tripyrrole compound produced by many different bacteria, such as Streptomyces coelicolor, Janthinobacterium lividum, Alteromonas rubra, Hahella chejuensis, Serratia marcescens, Rugamonas rubra, Streptomyces fusant NRCF69, Vibrio psychroerythrus, Serratia rubidaea, and Streptoverticillium rubrireticuli [1,2]. Among these bacteria, S. marcescens is the most commonly utilized microbe for prodigiosin production. In S. marcescens, prodigiosin bearing the chemical formula C 20 H 25 N 3 O has a tripyrrole molecular configuration with pyrrole (A ring), 3-methoxypyrrole (B ring), and 2-methyl-3-pentylpyrrole (C ring); and two essential intermediate metabolites, 2-methyl-3-n-amylpyrrole and 4-methoxy-2,2′-bipyrrole-5-carbaldehyde, are synthesized via a bifurcated pathway. The metabolites 2-methyl-3-n-amylpyrrole and 4-methoxy-2,2′bipyrrole-5-carbaldehyde are eventually assembled by key enzymes to form prodigiosin [3,4]. This bacterial pigment has numerous biological activities, including antioxidant, algicidal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressant, and anticancer activities [5,6]. Aside from the many reported uses of S. marcescens-derived prodigiosin as a food colorant or in candles and cosmetics, we previously demonstrated that prodigiosin produced by H. chejuensis can reduce UV-induced reactive oxygen species production, the pro-inflammatory response, and cytotoxicity in irradiated human keratinocytes [7], suggesting potential for cosmetic ingredient development.Prodigiosin as a high-valued compound, which is a microbial secondary metabolite, has the potential for antioxidant and anticancer effects. However, the large-scale production of functionally active Hahella chejuensis-derived prodigiosin by fermentation in a cost-effective manner has yet to be achieved. In the present study, we established carbon source-optimized medium conditions, as well as a procedure for producing prodigiosin by fermentation by culturing H. chejuensis using 10 L and 200 L bioreactors. Our results showed that prodigiosin productivity using 250 ml flasks was higher in the presence of glucose than other carbon sources, including mannose, sucrose, galactose, and fructose, and could be scaled up to 10 L and 200 L batches. Productivity in the glucose (2.5 g/l) culture while maintaining the medium at pH 6.89 during 10 days of cultivation in the 200 L bioreactor was measured and increased more than productivity in the basal culture medium in the absence of glucose. Prodigiosin production from 10 L and 200 L fermentation cultures of H. chejuensis was confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analyses for more accurate identification. Finally, the anticancer activity of crude extracted prodigiosin against human cancerous leukemia THP-1 cells was evaluated and confirmed at various concentrations. Conclusively, we demonstrate that cult...

Transcriptomic analysis of the antimicrobial activity of prodigiosin against Cutibacterium acnes

“…Prodigiosin was extracted from PU foam cubes by using a Soxhlet extractor with ethanol. Culture conditions and extraction methods for large-scale cultures using 200 L bioreactor were previously described 35 . The amounts and purity of prodigiosin extracts were determined by LC–MS analysis.…”

β-Lactams from the Ocean

“…Equisitin has potent Gram-positive antibacterial activity [ 68 , 69 ] and shows pronounced synergy with polymyxins against pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria [ 68 , 70 ]. Marine bacteria have significant potential as producing organisms of the tripyrrole prodiginines [ 71 ]. The prodiginines (represented by prodigiosin) demonstrate a breadth of biological activities, also including pronounced synergy with polymyxins against pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria [ 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ].…”

Prodigiosin: a promising biomolecule with many potential biomedical applications

“…In general, high PG production at a laboratory scale was reported in semisynthetic media containing simple carbon sources, such as mono- or disaccharides such as fructose galactose, glucose, mannose, and sucrose [ 16 ]. However, there is evidence that PG production is modulated by glucose levels indirectly through cyclic AMP signaling, while gluconate inhibits pigmentation in S. marcescens through the pig cluster, more exactly pigT [ 41 ].…”

“…Treatment with 30–100 ng/ml PG for 4–7 h decreased viability in THP-1 cells. In contrast to cancerous cells treated with PG, the non-cancerous kidney epithelial Vero cell line was not susceptible to various doses of PG [ 16 ].…”