Antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties of the red biopigment extract from Monascus purpureus (MTCC 369).

In this study, the Monascus purpureus (MTCC 369) extracted biopigment produced by solid-state fermentation was evaluated for its therapeutic potential using human prostate LNCaP cells. Antioxidant efficacy of the red biopigment determined using 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid, and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays was found to be 53.16%, 86.27%, and 13.83%, respectively. In addition, expression studies of target gene superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD-2) showed that increasing concentrations (10-50 µg/ml) of the biopigment enhanced its expression from 0.91- to 1.905-fold. An inhibitory effect of 0.424-0.627-fold was observed in the expression of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) with a similar increase in biopigment concentration. Addition of quercetin (positive control) at 50 µg/ml led to 0.295-fold decrease in GPX expression. In contrast, the expression of SOD-2 increased by 1.026-fold in the presence of quercetin. The biopigment also showed an increased serological IL-10 expression (an anti-inflammatory agent) ranging from 1034.58 to 4657.89 pg/ml. Treatment of LNCaP cells with the red biopigment (10-100 µg/ml) resulted in significant (p < .05) reduction (upto 79.86%) in viability and 51.79%-89.86% reduction in cell metabolic activity. Fluorescent microscopy examination of red biopigment-treated cells showed significant inhibition of normal cellular morphology including condensed nuclei, membrane blebbing, and apoptotic bodies, thus confirming its cytotoxic potential. Results of this study revealed that the red biopigment has the potential to modulate the expression of antioxidative and anti-inflammatory markers in addition to being cytotoxic to the LNCaP cancer cells. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: These findings indicate that cell treatment with red biopigment has the potential to modulate anti-oxidative, pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory genes for therapeutic effects, which is further enhanced by its cytotoxic activity against cancer cells. Considering these cell-based observations, Monascus red biopigment has ample potential as a useful supplement to formulate therapeutic products that delay the development of inflammatory-related diseases and associated complications.

Evaluation of antioxidant potential of pigments extracted from Bacillus spp. and Halomonas spp. isolated from mangrove rhizosphere.

The present study aimed to isolate different pigment-producing bacteria from the mangrove rhizosphere habitat and to extract their pigments for evaluating their antioxidant and sun-protective properties. Three pigment-producing bacterial cultures were isolated from soil samples and were identified by morphological analysis and 16S rDNA sequencing. The pigments were isolated by the solvent extraction method and named as MZ (Pink), Orange, and Yellow. They were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The sun protection factor (SPF) values of these pigments were then determined using the Mansur equation. The total polyphenol content was estimated by the Folin-Ciocâlteu method, and the antioxidant activity of the pigments was determined using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power), and ABTS (2,2-azinobis-3-ethyl-enzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays. The in vitro antioxidant potential of the pigments in the presence of oxidative stress (H2O2) was confirmed in the mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 by using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. The pigment-producing bacterial isolates were identified as Bacillus infantis (MZ), Halomonas spp. (Orange), and Bacillus spp. (Yellow). The pigments were found to be carotenoid in nature, and the SPF values were in the range of 3.99 to 5.22. All three pigments had high polyphenol content (22 to 48 µg tannic acid equivalent) and showed significant antioxidant properties in both chemical and cell line-based studies. The results of this study indicate that these pigments have the potential to be used as an antioxidant agent and can be further developed as a pharmaceutical compound.

Recovery and purification of bikaverin produced by Fusarium oxysporum CCT7620.

Microbial pigments have a distinguished potential for applications in food and pharmaceutical industries, stimulating the research in this field. The present study evaluated the ideal conditions for extracting bikaverin (red pigment) from the biomass of Fusarium oxysporum CCT7620. Among the solvents tested, ethyl acetate extraction resulted in the highest bikaverin concentration and the kinetic study revealed a saturation in bikaverin concentration from 256 min on. Based on a preliminary economic study, three sequential extractions with ethyl acetate was considered the ideal protocol to recover bikaverin. After extraction, chromatographic methods were tested to purify bikaverin. The use of silica gel or Sephadex (open column) could not successfully purify bikaverin, but the semi-preparative HPLC resulted in a bikaverin-enriched fraction with a purity degree equivalent to the commercial analytical standard. This work provides relevant information regarding the extraction and purification of bikaverin, which may be useful for other downstraming processes.

Natural blue pigments and bikaverin.

In last years, the main studied microbial sources of natural blue pigments have been the eukaryotic algae, Rhodophytes and Cryptophytes, and the cyanobacterium Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis, responsible for the production of phycocyanin, one of the most important blue compounds approved for food and cosmetic use. Recent research also includes the indigoidine pigment from the bacteria Erwinia, Streptomyces and Photorhabdus. Despite these advances, there are still few options of microbial blue pigments reported so far, but the interest in these products is high due to the lack of stable natural blue pigments in nature. Filamentous fungi are particularly attractive for their ability to produce pigments with a wide range of colors. Bikaverin is a red metabolite present mainly in species of the genus Fusarium. Although originally red, the biomass containing bikaverin changes its color to blue after heat treatment, through a mechanism still unknown. In addition to the special behavior of color change by thermal treatment, bikaverin has beneficial biological properties, such as antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities, which can expand its use for the pharmaceutical and medical sectors. The present review addresses the production natural blue pigments and focuses on the properties of bikaverin, which can be an important source of blue pigment with potential applications in the food industry and in other industrial sectors.

On the antioxidant activity of eumelanin biopigments: a quantitative comparison between free radical scavenging and redox properties.

The antioxidant activity of eumelanin, a ubiquitous pigment in flora and fauna, constitutes one of its most fascinating physicochemical properties. To shed light on free radical scavenging vs redox facets of such activity, we applied hydrogen atom transfer- and electron transfer-based assays to pristine Sepia ink, eumelanin from Sepia ink, chemically controlled eumelanins and their precursor building blocks. Our work contributes to the rational use of the antioxidant properties of eumelanin for health, cosmetics and environmental applications.

Synthetic Biopigment Supercapacitors.

Biomass-based energy storage devices have drawn increasing attention owing to their renewability and sustainability, particularly that the heteroatom-doped carbons derived from natural polymers are regarded as the promising candidates in discovering advanced electrode materials for supercapacitors. This work has developed a facile one-pot fabrication strategy toward synthetic pheomelanin nanoparticles with controllable size and chemical composition (i.e., sulfur content) via the copolymerization of dopamine and cysteine. The resulting synthetic pigment materials possess outstanding thermal stability and are able to directly transform into monodispersed S,N-codoped carbon spheres with unaltered morphology. Compared with conventional polydopamine-based carbon spheres, the present carbonized pheomelanin nanoparticles with electroactive sulfur atoms could possess lower charge-transfer resistance and consequently higher specific capacitance (e.g., 243 F g-1 at 1 A g-1). This research continues to inspire researchers to develop new kinds of energy storage materials based on synthetic biopigment materials.

Torularhodin and Torulene: Bioproduction, Properties and Prospective Applications in Food and Cosmetics - a Review

Torularhodin and torulene are two widespread microbial carotenoids with relatively few studies, as compared to other nutraceutical carotenoids such as β-carotene, lycopene and astaxanthin. Several genera of microorganisms produce it in high concentration (up to 0.1% of the cell dry weight), probably as a protection against photooxidation and free radicals. These pigments, which differ by a terminal carboxylic group, have provitamin-A activity and, being red, have potential use as food and cosmetic color additives. Several factors affect the biosynthesis of these substances, including: the composition of culture media, light irradiation, which may enhance the carotenoid production up to 25% of the non-irradiated cultures, and temperature, which changes the carotenoid balance towards more of the acidic carotenoid (torularhodin) or the hydrocarbon (torulene). The biomass may be directly extracted using non polar solvents such as hexane or a hexane-acetone mixture, without need of cell disruption. Extensive purification is not needed for using the pigments as food or cosmetic additives, but it is still necessary to evaluate the bioactivity of the pigments in humans.

Assessment of process parameters influencing the enhanced production of prodigiosin from Serratia marcescens and evaluation of its antimicrobial,antioxidant and dyeing potentials

Aims: Prodigiosin is a bright red pigment produced by certain strains of Serratia marcescens, characterized by a common pyrrolylpyrromethane skeleton. This pigment is found to possess antibacterial, antifungal, immunosuppressive and antiproliferative activity. The present study aimed at designing process parameters for the enhanced production of this pigment. Methodology and Results: Peptone glycerol broth was selected as the best synthetic medium. The effects of various media components and process parameters like carbon and nitrogen sources, temperature, pH, incubation period and other supplements were investigated. Maximal amount of prodigiosin was produced at temperature 25 °C, pH 7.0 and incubation period of 48 h. Supplementation of media with maltose and peptone yielded maximal amount of prodigiosin. Incorporation of minimal amount of supplements like silica gel, iron salts, inorganic phosphate also showed promising results. Chromatographic separations suggested that prodigiosin is made up of three different fractions (purple, orange and red). Further investigation of antimicrobial properties of prodigiosin revealed that it is a potent inhibitor against gram positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus and fungal pathogens like Candida albicans, C. parapsilosis and Cryptococcus sp. This antimicrobial potency remained stable under a wide range of temperature and pH. The antioxidant capacity of prodigiosin was found to be 22.05 Bg ascorbic acid equivalents/ml of extract. When applied to textiles, prodigiosin resisted the action of acid, alkali and detergent. Conclusion, Significance and Impact of study: Besides combating gram positive bacterial pathogens and some pathogenic yeasts, prodigiosin with strong dyeing and antioxidant activity may find broad applications in textile and therapeutic industries.