Production of ectoine by recombinant technology for cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical applications
Keywords:
Ectoine, E. coli W3110, E. coli ΔOmpC, recombinant technology, HPLC, FTIRAbstract
Ectoine is an osmolyte synthesized by halophilic microorganisms to counteract osmotic stress caused by high salt concentrations. Due to its cell-protective and moisturizing properties, ectoine is widely used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Traditional production from Halomonas elongata using the "bacterial milking" method has limitations, including equipment corrosion and high costs. This study aims to produce ectoine in Escherichia coli using recombinant technology and compare the yield between wild-type and mutant strains. A plasmid containing the ectABC
DJMP
Da Nang Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy, Online first (In-press) 2
Tạp chí Khoa học Y Dược Đà Nẵng, Online first
gene cluster was introduced into two E. coli strains: W3110 (wild type) and ΔOmpC (lacking
the porin protein OmpC). The transformed bacteria were cultured in LB medium supplemented with ampicillin for 24 hours. Gene expression was induced with IPTG, followed by incubation at 20–22 °C for 20 hours. Ectoine was purified using cation exchange resin and rotary evaporation at 60 °C to obtain crystalline products. The product was analyzed by using HPLC at 210 nm and FTIR for quality evaluation. Both E. coli W3110 and E. coli ΔOmpC produced ectoine after 24 hours of cultivation. However, E. coli ΔOmpC yielded 8.0 g/L, higher than E. coli W3110 (4.1 g/L). HPLC and FTIR analyses confirmed the products as ectoine, showing characteristic peaks. The study demonstrates that recombinant technology is an efficient approach for ectoin production in E. coli. The ΔOmpC mutation enhances yield, offering potential for strain improvement in large scale cosmeceutical production.
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