Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology
Enzymatic synthesis of geranic acid and its protective effects against UVB-induced skin photodamage
By Lin J, Zhang P, Wang X and 4 others.
Abstract
Background
Geranic acid (GA, E-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienoic acid) is a natural monoterpenoid with antimicrobial,anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, holding great potential in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. However, current chemical synthetic routes suffer from poor stereoselectivity and reliance on harsh reagents, restricting its scalable production. This study established a sustainable and stereoselective enzymatic route for producing high-purity GA from citral, and evaluated its protective effect against UVB-induced photodamage in keratinocytes.
Methods
A novel geranial dehydrogenase (GeDH) from Pseudomonas sp. was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) via high-density fed-batch fermentation. GA was biosynthesized from citral using a GeDH/NADH oxidase (NOX) cofactor regeneration system, and characterized by GC-QTOF-MS and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The anti-photodamage activity and underlying mechanisms of GA were systematically investigated in UVB-irradiated HaCaT keratinocytes.