Cloning, Expression, Purification, and Characterization of a Novel β-Galactosidase/α-L-Arabinopyranosidase from KF-1.

Glycosidases are essential for the industrial production of functional oligosaccharides and many biotech applications. A novel β-galactosidase/α-L-arabinopyranosidase (PpBGal42A) of the glycoside hydrolase family 42 (GH42) from KF-1 was identified and functionally characterized. Using NPG as a substrate, the recombinant PpBGal42A (77.

Multiple release of polyplexes of plasmids VEGF and bFGF from electrospun fibrous scaffolds towards regeneration of mature blood vessels.

Key challenges associated with the outcomes of vascular grafting (for example, to fully vascularize engineered tissues and promptly regenerate blood vessel substitutes) remain unsolved. The local availability of angiogenic growth factors is highly desirable for tissue regeneration, and plasmid loading in scaffolds represents a powerful alternative for local production of tissue-inductive factors. No attempt has been made so far to clarify the efficacy of electrospun fibers with the loading of multiple plasmids to promote tissue regeneration.

Electrospun fibers with plasmid bFGF polyplex loadings promote skin wound healing in diabetic rats.

Deep or chronic skin wounds are difficult to heal spontaneously due to the lack of scaffold to guide cell growth and reduced levels and activities of endogenous growth factors. Emulsion electrospinning process integrated with DNA condensation techniques indicated potentials to gradually release DNA, but no attempt has been made to clarify the advantages in promoting tissue regeneration and wound recovery. In this study, polyplexes of basic fibroblast growth factor-encoding plasmid (pbFGF) with poly(ethylene imine) were incorporated into electrospun fibers with a core-sheath structure, and poly(ethylene glycol) was included into the fiber sheath to allow a sustained release of pbFGF for 4 weeks.

Core-sheath structured fibers with pDNA polyplex loadings for the optimal release profile and transfection efficiency as potential tissue engineering scaffolds.

Emulsion electrospinning was initially applied to prepare core-sheath structured fibers with a core loading of pDNA or pDNA polyplexes inside a fiber sheath of poly(DL-lactide)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PELA). The inclusion of poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were expected to modulate the release profiles and achieve a balance between cytotoxicity and transfection efficiency. The core-sheath fibers enhance the structural integrity and maintain the biological activity of pDNA during the electrospinning process, incubation in release buffer and enzyme digestion.