Biological Properties of Yeast-based Mannoprotein for Prospective Biomedical Applications

Natural products constitute more than half of all biomolecules lately being used in clinical settings. Mannoprotein derived from the yeast cell wall has found full biotechnological applications.

This study was intended to investigate the antioxidant, anticancer, and toxicological properties of Kluyveromyces marxianus mannoprotein (KM).

The KM extract was obtained through a sequence of operations, including centrifugation for cell isolation, precipitation with potassium citrate/sodium metabisulfite, and recovery and purification. Its antioxidant, growth inhibition, macrophage mitogenic, and toxic activities were evaluated for its future use in the biomedical field.

Significant inhibitory effects of KM were obtained on reactive species. It showed antiproliferative activity against HeLa (human cervical adenocarcinoma) and MCF-7 (human breast cancer) cell lines with no toxic effects on HUVECs (human umbilical vein endothelial cells). The in vitro model of CHO-K1 (Chinese hamster ovary) cell lines did not show the cytotoxic and genotoxic of KM. Moreover, it enhanced macrophage activity in terms of nitric oxide (NO) production and viability. No sign of acute toxicity was found in BALB/c mice, and body weight remained unchanged in guinea pigs over three months.

Comprehensive biological evaluations in this study are expected to expand the potential of KM as a natural material.