Trichloroethene (TCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE) are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are ubiquitous in the environment and cause health concerns. In addition, the non-degradable nature of conventional plastics causes many environmental problems. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the bacteria that can degrade the toxic VOCs and convert them into biodegradable plastics. In this study, we used the bacteria Cupriavidus sp. CY-1 to degrade VOCs and produce biodegradable plastics, i.e., poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). The strain CY-1 showed growth when it was supplemented with TCE or cDCE along with the co-substrates phenol or Tween 80. TCE was co-oxidized and degraded into CO₂, and the phenol degradation produced two metabolites, catechol and the fission products of catechol. TCE or cDCE was converted into PHB by CY-1 when supplemented with phenol. CY-1 showed the highest cell dry mass (CDM) when it was grown with cDCE (0.74 ± 0.09 g L⁻¹) or TCE (0.68 ± 0.04 g L⁻¹) along with phenol and Tween 80. CY-1 showed the highest PHB accumulation (350 ± 15 mg g⁻¹ CDM) when it was incubated with cDCE, phenol and Tween 80. PHB production was calculated based on the bacterial CDM and high-pressure liquid chromatography results. FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR analyses were conducted to identify PHB. The thermal properties of PHB were confirmed, using thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The chemical shifts of PHB produced from VOCs nearly matched with standard PHB; therefore, CY-1 could convert toxic VOCs into valuable chemicals such as PHB.

With the growing interest in bioplastics, there is an urgent need to develop rapid analysis methods linked to production technology development. This study focused on the production of a commercially non-available homopolymer, poly(3-hydroxyvalerate) (P(3HV)), and a commercially available copolymer, poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (P(3HB-co-3HV)), through fermentation using two different bacterial strains. The bacteria Chromobacterium violaceum and Bacillus sp. CYR1 were used to produce P(3HV) and P(3HB-co-3HV), respectively. The bacterium Bacillus sp. CYR1 produced 415 mg/L of P(3HB-co-3HV) when incubated with acetic acid and valeric acid as the carbon sources, whereas the bacterium C. violaceum produced 0.198 g of P(3HV)/g dry biomass when incubated with sodium valerate as the carbon source. Additionally, we developed a fast, simple, and inexpensive method to quantify P(3HV) and P(3HB-co-3HV) using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). As the alkaline decomposition of P(3HB-co-3HV) releases 2-butenoic acid (2BE) and 2-pentenoic acid (2PE), we were able to determine the concentration using HPLC. Moreover, calibration curves were prepared using standard 2BE and 2PE, along with sample 2BE and 2PE produced by the alkaline decomposition of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and P(3HV), respectively. Finally, the HPLC results obtained by our new method were compared using gas chromatography (GC) analysis.

To evaluate the wound-healing effect of Antheraea pernyi epidermal growth factor (ApEGF), we performed the sequence analysis, cloning, and prokaryotic expression of cDNA from the ApEGF gene, examined the transcriptional changes, and investigated the wound-healing effect of this protein in cells and rat epidermis. Primers were designed based on available sequence information related to the ApEGF gene in a public database, and part of the ApEGF sequence was obtained. The full-length cDNA sequence of ApEGF was obtained using inverse PCR. The gene sequence fragment of ApEGF was 666 bp in length, encoding 221 amino acids, with a predicted protein mass of 24.19 kD, an isoelectric point of 5.15, and no signal peptide sequence. Sequence homology analysis revealed 86.1% sequence homology with Bombyx mori, 92.7% with Manducal sexta, 92.6% with Trichoplusia ni, and 91.8% with Helicoverpa armigera. ApEGF was truncated and then subjected to prokaryotic expression, isolation, and purification. Truncated ApEGF was used for wound-healing experiments in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that after 48 h, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 had 187.32% cell growth effects, and the ApEGF group had 211.15% cell growth compared to the control group in vitro. In rat epidermis, truncated ApEGF showed a significantly better healing effect than the control. This result indicated that ApEGF, which exerted a direct wound-healing effect, could be used in wound-healing therapy.

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biodegradable polyester considered a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based plastics. However, its biodegradation in the presence of plasticizers remains poorly defined. This study investigated the impact of phthalate ester- and glycol-based plasticizers on PHB degradation by Ralstonia sp. C1. Real Time -Polymerase Chain Reaction(RT-PCR) analysis showed that expression of the PHB depolymerase gene phaZa1 remained unchanged in all additive-treated cultures, indicating no transcriptional interference. Liquid-medium degradation assays quantified by HPLC revealed rapid PHB utilization, with more than 50% degraded within 24 h and over 98% degraded within 48 h, with no significant differences relative to the control. Growth-inhibition assays further demonstrated that none of the plasticizers impaired bacterial viability, as OD₆₀₀ profiles were comparable to untreated cultures. Soil degradation experiments confirmed that PHB films containing additives decomposed at rates similar to additive-free films, reaching approximately 80% degradation within 10 weeks. Overall, the tested plasticizers did not affect enzyme expression, microbial activity, or PHB biodegradation, highlighting the suitability of plasticized PHB materials for environmentally sustainable applications and supporting their scalable use as biodegradable alternatives to conventional plastics.

Odor Reduction Monitoring in Swine Farms Following the Application of Domestic Commercial Microbial Products-Gut microbiota Calprotectin levels,Metagenomics,Ordor reduction,Swine farms