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Animal studies have shown that early life exposure to general anesthetics may impair brain development. However, the implications of this phenomenon in human patients remain unclear. In this study, we use an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived human brain microphysiological system (bMPS) to investigate the effects of early sevoflurane (SEV) exposure on human brain development. Human iPSCs were cultured and differentiated into neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and then into bMPS. At week 8, bMPSs were exposed to 2.4% SEV for 4 h. Four weeks after exposure, immunofluorescence (IF), Western blotting (WB), and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were conducted to evaluate the alteration of nerve cells in bMPS. After SEV exposure, the number of apoptotic cells increases, and the level of neural differentiation markers decreases. The ratios of mature neurons over NPCs and mature oligodendrocytes over oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are reduced, which leads to a reduction in myelination. SEV also impedes the development of astrocytes and synaptogenesis, especially the formation of excitatory synapses. Meanwhile, SEV increases the expression of molecules in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signal pathway. In conclusion, early SEV exposure substantially disrupts the development of human brain tissue, and the mTOR signal pathway is likely to be involved in this alteration.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa , pose a serious global health threat due to their increasing prevalence and limited therapeutic options. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) offer promising alternatives to traditional antibiotics, yet their large-scale application remains constrained by high production costs and technical challenges. This research sought to develop a yeast-based system for the cost-efficient synthesis of acidocin 4356 (ACD), an antimicrobial peptide proven effective against P. aeruginosa . A codon-optimized ACD gene was cloned into the pPICZα-A expression vector and integrated into the Komagataella phaffii (formerly Pichia pastoris ) GS115 genome. Colony PCR confirmed successful integration, and specific transformants demonstrated expression of the 6 × His-ECS-rACD fusion protein, as verified by SDS-PAGE and dot blot analysis. After Ni–NTA chromatography and enterokinase digestion, rACD was found at ~ 20 kDa instead of 8.3 kDa, suggesting oligomerization or post-translational modifications. Response surface methodology determined the optimal temperature, pH, and methanol concentration for peptide synthesis. Under optimal circumstances (21 °C, pH 6.24, and 1.089% methanol), rACD synthesis increased by 34.12% over baseline conditions (30 °C, pH 6, 1% methanol). AlphaFold structural modeling identified three α-helices in high-confidence regions, implicated in bacterial membrane disruption. Antimicrobial assays demonstrated potent rACD activity against P. aeruginosa , yielding a 58.29% reduction in growth at 150 µg/mL and MIC50 and MIC90 values of 143.04 and 320.64 µg/mL, respectively. These findings underscore K. phaffii as a robust platform for AMP production and highlight rACD’s therapeutic potential as an effective agent against MDR P. aeruginosa , warranting further investigation into its clinical and industrial applications. Graphical Abstract Key points •  Developing a novel K. phaffii strain for heterologous expression supports efficient rACD peptide production. •  Optimized conditions boosted expression yield by 34.12% above the reference fermentation settings. •  Recombinant acidocin suppressed Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth by 58%, indicating anti-MDR activity.