Composite Membranes of Recombinant Silkworm Antimicrobial Peptide and Poly (L-lactic Acid) (PLLA) for biomedical application.

Zhi Li,Xiqian Lan,Jiashen Li,Polly Hangmei Leung,Gang Li,Xuan Liu,Yanxia Han,Yi Li,Xiaofen Lin,Maobin Xie

doi:10.1038/srep31149

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides, produced by innate immune system of hosts in response to invading pathogens, are capable of fighting against a spectrum of bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and cancer cells. Here, a recombinant silkworm AMP Bmattacin2 from heterologous expression is studied, indicating a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity and showing selective killing ability towards skin and colon cancer cells over their normal cell counterparts. For the purpose of biomedical application, the electrospinning fabrication technique is employed to load Bmattacin2 into PLLA nanofibrous membrane. In addition to a good compatibility with the normal cells, Bmattacin2 loaded nanofibrous membranes demonstrate instant antibacterial effects and sustained anticancer effects. The cancer cell and bacteria targeting dynamics of recombinant Bmattacin2 are investigated. With these characteristics, PLLA/Bmattacin2 composite membranes have a great potential for developing novel biomedical applications such as cancer therapies and wound healing treatments.

Highlights

In heterologous system is a process of protein engineering technology, which was verified as an effective way to derive large scale of useful and functional proteins
We evaluated the effects of Bmattacin[2] on the viability of two cancerous cells and together with their normal counterparts
Nuclear fragmentation or chromatin condensation (Fig. 1b4,8) and the disconnected cytoskeleton of A375 and HCT116 (Fig. 1c4,8) were apparent compared with the normal cells

Summary

Introduction

In heterologous system is a process of protein engineering technology, which was verified as an effective way to derive large scale of useful and functional proteins. Increasing concentration of silver nanoparticles resulted in the enhanced antibacterial activity of scaffold; the cytotoxicity to human skin fibroblast increased simultaneously[16] Some drugs, such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), are loaded to the scaffolds for drug release and cancer therapy[17]; their harm to normal cells cannot be ignored. To solve this problem and develop a novel scaffold with higher antibacterial and anticancer function as well as lower cytotoxicity for biomedical application, the recombinant silkworm Bmattacin[2], as a bioactive material, was loaded to the nanofibrous scaffolds by electrospinning. The investigation indicated these electrospun PLLA/Bmattacin[2] nanofibrous membranes have a great potential for biomedical application such as cancer therapy, wound dressing and healing

Methods

Results

Conclusion