1,721,118 research outputs found
Natural Killer Cells: A Coherent Model for Their Functional Role in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection.
No full textTuberculosis is still a leading cause of bacterial infection worldwide, with an estimate of over two billion people latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). A delicate interplay between MTB and the host's innate and acquired immune system can influence the outcome of the infection, which ranges from pathogen elimination to the establishment of a latent infection or a progressive disease. Although the host cell-mediated adaptive immune response is of vital importance in the control of MTB infection, growing evidence indicates that innate immune cells may greatly influence the outcome of the interaction between the bacterium and the host. Among the cell populations likely to play a role in the host immune response to MTB, natural killer (NK) cells have recently attracted considerable interest. This review is dedicated to dissecting the role of NK cells in immunity to tuberculosis, reporting the most relevant findings and providing a working model of the possible contribution of NK cells in early and late events associated with MTB infection
Antimicrobial peptides and their interaction with biofilms of medically relevant bacteria
Full text linkBiofilm-associated infections represent one of the major threats of the modern medicine. Biofilmforming bacteria are encased in a complex mixture of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and acquire properties that render them highly tolerant to conventional antibiotics and host immune response. Therefore, there is a pressing demand of new drugs active against microbial biofilms. In this regard, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent an option taken increasingly in consideration. After dissecting the peculiar biofilm features that may greatly affect the development of new antibiofilm drugs, the present article provides a general overview of the rationale behind the use of AMPs against biofilms of medically relevant bacteria and on the possible mechanisms of AMP antibiofilm activity. An analysis of the interactions of AMPs with biofilm components, especially those constituting the EPS, and the obstacles and/or opportunities that may arise from such interactions in the development of new AMP-based antibiofilm strategies is also presented and discussed
COMPLETE RELEASE OF ADENOSINE-DEAMINASE FROM MOUSE LYMPHOCYTES STABILIZED BY LOW-PH ACETATE
No full textHuman beta-defensin-3: a promising antimicrobial peptide
No full textThe field of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides is a research area rapidly expanding due to the high potential of such molecules as new antimicrobial drugs. In this regard, the human beta-defensin-3 is particularly attractive because of its strong antibacterial activity, relative salt-insensitiveness and low toxicity for host cells
The antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of Granudacyn in vitro in a 3D collagen wound infection model
No full textIt is widely agreed that infection and the formation of biofilms play a major role in increasing inflammation and delaying wound healing. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in vitro, the antimicrobial activity of the wound irrigation solution, Granudacyn (Mölnlycke Health Care AB, Sweden) against planktonic bacteria and mature biofilms of clinically relevant bacterial species
Perspectives on polymeric nanostructures for the therapeutic application of antimicrobial peptides
No full textAntimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of promising anti-infective molecules but
their therapeutic application is opposed by their poor bioavailability, susceptibility to
protease degradation and potential toxicity. The advancement of nanoformulation
technologies offers encouraging perspectives for the development of novel
therapeutic strategies based on AMPs to treat antibiotic resistant microbial infections.
Additionally, the use of polymers endowed per-se with antibacterial properties,
stands out as an innovative approach for the development of a new generation of
drug delivery systems in which an enhanced antimicrobial action could be obtained by
the synergic combination of bioactive polymer matrices and drugs. Herein, the latest
AMPs drug delivery research is discussed
Therapeutic Potential of Antimicrobial Peptides in Polymicrobial Biofilm-Associated Infections
No full textIt is widely recognized that many chronic infections of the human body have a polymicrobial etiology. These include diabetic foot ulcer infections, lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients, periodontitis, otitis, urinary tract infections and even a proportion of systemic infections. The treatment of mixed infections poses serious challenges in the clinic. First, polymicrobial communities of microorganisms often organize themselves as biofilms that are notoriously recalcitrant to antimicrobial therapy and clearance by the host immune system. Secondly, a plethora of interactions among community members may affect the expression of virulence factors and the susceptibility to antimicrobials of individual species in the community. Therefore, new strategies able to target multiple pathogens in mixed populations need to be urgently developed and evaluated. In this regard, antimicrobial or host defense peptides (AMPs) deserve particular attention as they are endowed with many favorable features that may serve to this end. The aim of the present review is to offer a comprehensive and updated overview of studies addressing the therapeutic potential of AMPs in mixed infections, highlighting the opportunities offered by this class of antimicrobials in the fight against polymicrobial infections, but also the limits that may arise in their use for this type of application
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