Weerasinghe Kavindi E, Kannangara Amila T, Attanayake Renuka N, Rajapakse Chandima Shashikala K, Halmillawewa Anupama P
Department of Microbiology, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Department of Chemistry, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 30;15(1):15226. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-93643-9.
Microorganisms, inhabiting various ecological niches, exhibit a capacity to produce a diverse array of pigments with different shades. These colorful microbial pigments may also potentially possess beneficial bioactivities. This dual functionality together with the ease of mass production and downstream processing has shifted the global attention towards the use of microbially-derived pigments as bioactive colorants in different industries. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of characterizing the pigments from Kocuria flava and identifying their potential biotechnological applications. The bacterium, PUTS1_3, was isolated using the surface sediment samples from the Puttalam mangrove ecosystem, Sri Lanka and it was identified as Kocuria flava using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The yellow, intracellular pigment of PUTS1_3 was obtained by treating the cell pellet with methanol. Characterization of the pigment extract using UV-visible spectroscopy, TLC, and HPLC confirmed the presence of three carotenoid compounds, including β-carotene. The pigment extract also demonstrated antibacterial activity, against Gram positive bacteria tested. Antioxidant properties were observed with an IC value of 181.95 ± 4.57 µg/ml in the DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Although its sun protection factor was comparatively low (SPF 7.69 ± 0.01), the pigment showed promising results as a textile dye demonstrating good color performance and stability in washing and pH stability tests. Moreover, fabrics dyed with the pigment extract displayed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923). These findings suggest the potential use of the yellow pigments of K. flava PUTS1_3 for various biotechnological applications.
栖息于各种生态位的微生物具有产生各种不同色调色素的能力。这些色彩丰富的微生物色素也可能具有有益的生物活性。这种双重功能，再加上易于大规模生产和下游加工，已将全球的注意力转向在不同行业中使用微生物来源的色素作为生物活性着色剂。因此，本研究旨在表征来自黄动性球菌的色素并确定其潜在的生物技术应用。使用来自斯里兰卡普塔勒姆红树林生态系统的表层沉积物样本分离出PUTS1_3菌株，通过16S rRNA基因测序将其鉴定为黄动性球菌。通过用甲醇处理细胞沉淀获得PUTS1_3的黄色细胞内色素。使用紫外可见光谱、薄层色谱和高效液相色谱对色素提取物进行表征，证实存在三种类胡萝卜素化合物，包括β-胡萝卜素。色素提取物还对测试的革兰氏阳性菌表现出抗菌活性。在DPPH自由基清除试验中观察到抗氧化性能，IC50值为181.95±4.57μg/ml。尽管其防晒系数相对较低（SPF 7.69±0.01），但该色素作为纺织染料显示出有前景的结果，在洗涤和pH稳定性测试中表现出良好的颜色性能和稳定性。此外，用色素提取物染色的织物对金黄色葡萄球菌（ATCC 25923）显示出抗菌活性。这些发现表明黄动性球菌PUTS1_3的黄色色素在各种生物技术应用中的潜在用途。
