Biological characterization of D-lactate dehydrogenase responsible for high-yield production of D-phenyllactic acid in Sporolactobacillus inulinus.

PLA (3-D-phenyllactic acid) is an ideal antimicrobial and immune regulatory compound present in honey and fermented foods. Sporolactobacillus inulinus is regarded as a potent D-PLA producer that reduces phenylpyruvate (PPA) with D-lactate dehydrogenases. In this study, PLA was produced by whole-cell bioconversion of S. inulinus ATCC 15538. Three genes encoding D-lactate dehydrogenase (d-ldh1, d-ldh2, and d-ldh3) were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), and their biochemical and structural properties were characterized. Consequently, a high concentration of pure D-PLA (47 mM) was produced with a high conversion yield of 88%. Among the three enzymes, D-LDH1 was responsible for the efficient conversion of PPA to PLA with kinetic parameters of Km (0.36 mM), kcat (481.10 s-1 ), and kcat /Km (1336.39 mM-1  s-1 ). In silico structural analysis and site-directed mutagenesis revealed that the Ile307 in D-LDH1 is a key residue for excellent PPA reduction with low steric hindrance at the substrate entrance. This study highlights that S. inulinus ATCC 15538 is an excellent PLA producer, equipped with a highly specific and efficient D-LDH1 enzyme.

Fabrication and evaluation of a biodegradable cohesive plug based on reconstituted collagen/γ-polyglutamic acid.

In the past decade, numerous studies have been devoted to developing natural bioadhesives that have the notable capacity to adhere to wet surfaces. Collagen and γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) are well-known natural hydrophilic polymers that have both been utilized for their versatility in a wide range of biomedical applications. The aim of this study was the construction and characterization of a cohesive plug composed of γ-PGA and reconstituted collagen fibrils crosslinked with water-soluble carbodiimide. Transmission electron microscopy examinations confirmed that the collagen fibrils in the reconstituted collagen/γ-PGA gel retained their native specific D-period structure. This unique D-pattern structure of collagen plays a major role in hemostasis and is also related to several cellular behaviors. The bonding strength of the reconstituted collagen/γ-PGA adhesive was approximately 42.9 ± 4.0 KPa after 5 min of application and increased to 76.5 ± 15.1 KPa after 24 h. This was much stronger than the fibrin adhesive, whose bonding strength was 30.9 ± 0.2 KPa. Furthermore, the reconstituted collagen/γ-PGA gel degraded gradually after subcutaneous implantation in the backs of rats over a period of 8 weeks, without any severe inflammatory response. On the basis of the histological analysis, fibroblasts migrated into the gel while it degraded, which indicates that the gel is not harmful to cellular activity. Together, these findings demonstrate that using reconstituted collagen with retained D-periodicity as a component of the bioadhesive is a possibly better option to formulate effective adhesiveness and is promising as a scaffold for tissue repair.