Prodigiosin from Serratia: Synthesis and potential applications

• Published in: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine
• Main Authors: Sami Mnif, Marwa Jardak, Brahim Bouizgarne, Sami Aifa
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2022
• Subjects: prodigiosin; serratia; synthesis; metabolites; biological activities; applications; antimicrobial; anti-proliferative; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4103/2221-1691.345515; https://doaj.org/article/18841f28bfcb4135ad805ca100331ffd

Prodigiosin is a red pigment with a pyrrolylpyrromethane skeleton. It is mainly produced by bacterial strains belonging to the Serratia genus, but also by some other genera, including Streptomyces and Vibrio. Within the genus Serratia, the pigment is generally produced as a virulence factor. However, it also has many important beneficial biological activities such as immunosuppressive and anti- proliferative activities. Moreover, the pigment has many industrial applications in textile and cosmetics. In this mini-review, we discuss the genetic and molecular mechanisms supporting prodigiosin synthesis and production from the Serratia genus, as well as its potential applications.