Exopolysaccharide from the yeast Papiliotrema terrestris PT22AV for skin wound healing

Introduction: Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are high-value functional biomaterials mainly produced by bac-teria and fungi, with nutraceutical, therapeutic and industrial potentials.Objectives: This study sought to characterize and assess the biological properties of the EPS produced by the yeast Papiliotrema terrestris PT22AV.Methods: After extracting the yeast's DNA and its molecular identification, the EPS from P. terrestris PT22AV strain was extracted and its physicochemical properties (structural, morphological, monosaccha-ride composition and molecular weight) were characterized. The EPS's in vitro biological activities and in vivo wound healing potential were also evaluated.Results: The obtained EPS was water-soluble and revealed an average molecular weight (Mw) of 202 kDa. Mannose and glucose with 97% and 3% molar percentages, respectively, constituted the EPS. In vitro antibacterial activity analysis of the extracted EPS exhibited antibacterial activity (>80%) against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis at a concentration of 2 mg/mL. The EPS showed cytocompatibility against the human fibroblast and macrophage cell lines and the ani-mal studies showed a dose-dependent wound healing capacity of the EPS with higher wound closure at 10 mg/mL compared to negative and positive control after 14 days.Conclusion: The EPS from P. terrestris PT22AV could serve as a promising source of biocompatible macro-molecules with potential for skin wound healing.(c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Cairo University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).