Advancing PHBV Biomedical Potential with the Incorporation of Bacterial Biopigment Prodigiosin

The quest for sustainable biomaterials with excellent biocompatibility and tailorable properties has put polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) into the research spotlight. However, high production costs and the lack of bioactivity limit their market penetration. To address this, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) was combined with a bacterial pigment with strong anticancer activity, prodigiosin (PG), to obtain functionally enhanced PHBV-based biomaterials. The samples were produced in the form of films 115.6–118.8 µm in thickness using the solvent casting method. The effects of PG incorporation on the physical properties (morphology, biopolymer crystallinity and thermal stability) and functionality of the obtained biomaterials were investigated. PG has acted as a nucleating agent, in turn affecting the degree of crystallinity, thermal stability and morphology of the films. All samples with PG had a more organized internal structure and higher melting and degradation temperatures. The calculated degree of crystallinity of the PHBV copolymer was 53%, while the PG1, PG3 and PG3 films had values of 64.0%, 63.9% and 69.2%, respectively. Cytotoxicity studies have shown the excellent anticancer activity of films against HCT116 (colon cancer) cells, thus advancing PHBV biomedical application potential.

Descrição

project LA/P/0140/202019 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy—i4HB. This research was funded by financial support from the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, IDEJE, 7730810, BioECOLogics and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, Project No. 451-03-68/2022-14/200042. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.

Palavras-chave

anticancer activity biocompatibility biopolymer crystallinity drug delivery film PHBV polyhydroxyalkanoate prodigiosin Catalysis Molecular Biology Spectroscopy Computer Science Applications Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Organic Chemistry Inorganic Chemistry SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being