Degradation of eschar from venous leg ulcers using a recombinant chymotrypsin from Lucilia sericata

Summary Background  Larvae of the greenbottle Lucilia sericata are used to debride nonhealing wounds and stimulate the production of fresh granulation tissue. Previous publications have shown that secretions from L. sericata contain a number of proteolytic activities including a chymotrypsin that degrades a number of extracellular matrix components such as fibronectin, laminin and collagen. Objectives  To produce a recombinant L. sericata chymotrypsin (chymotrypsin I) and determine its effects on the degradation of patient wound eschar. Methods  An active recombinant chymotrypsin I from L. sericata was cloned and expressed in Sf 9 cells and its subsequent effects ex vivo on eschar from venous leg ulcers were determined by two‐dimensional electrophoresis. Results  The recombinant enzyme had the attributes of a chymotrypsin, possessing sequence homology with other chymotrypsins and demonstrating attributes of the native enzyme including cleavage of the chymotrypsin substrate succinyl‐alanyl‐alanyl‐prolyl‐phenylalanyl‐7‐amino‐4‐methyl coumarin, inhibition by phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride and lack of inhibition by amidinophenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride. Importantly, the recombinant chymotrypsin cleaved the majority of proteins from slough/eschar from venous leg ulcers in a superior manner to chymotrypsins from human and bovine sources. Conclusions  The ex vivo degradation of eschar from venous leg ulcers indicates the potential value of recombinant chymotrypsin I as a novel, stand‐alone debridement agent.