1,720,999 research outputs found
Folding propensity and biological activity of peptides: the effect of a single stereochemical isomerization in structural and mechanical properties of bombinins in aqueous solution
No full textFolding propensities of bombinins H2 and H4, two members of amphibian bombinins H, a family of 17-20 residue alpha-helical peptides, have been investigated by means of circular dichroism (CD) measurements and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The two peptides, with primary structure IIGPVLGLVGSALGGLLKKI-NH2 and differing only for the configuration of the second aminoacid (an L-isoleucine in H2 and a D-alloisoleucine in H4) behave rather differently in solution. In particular both CD measurements and MD simulations indicate that bombinin H2 shows a markedly higher tendency to fold. From a careful inspection of AID trajectories it emerges that the stereochemical isomerization mutation of residue 2 to D-alloisoleucine in H4 peptide, drastically decreases its ability to form intrapeptide contacts. MD simulations also indicate that the conformational sampling in both systems derives from a subtle combination of energetic and entropic effects both involving the peptide itself and the solvent. The present results have been finally paralleled with preliminary information on bombinins H2 and H4 biological activity, i.e. interaction with membrane, supporting the hypothesis of an "already folded" conformation in water rather than interfacial folding tenet
Overcoming barriers in Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections: Engineered nanoparticles for local delivery of a cationic antimicrobial peptide.
No full textCationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are very promising in the treatment of multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections experienced by cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Nevertheless, there is an urgent need of inhalable formulations able to deliver the intact CAMP in conductive airways and to shield its interactions with airway mucus/bacterial biofilm, thus enhancing CAMP/bacteria interactions. Along these lines, the aim of this work was the design and development of nano-embedded microparticles (NEM) for sustained delivery of CAMPs in the lung. To this purpose, nanoparticles (NPs) made of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) containing a model CAMP, colistin (Col), were produced by emulsion/solvent diffusion technique. Engineering NPs with chitosan (CS) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) allowed to modulate surface properties and, in so doing, to improve NP transport through artificial CF mucus. In order to achieve a long-term stable dosage form useful for NP inhalation, NPs were spray-dried in different carriers (lactose or mannitol), thus producing NEM. The most promising NEM formulations were selected on the basis of bulk and flow properties, distribution of NPs in the carrier and aerosolization performance upon delivery through a breath-actuated dry powder inhaler. Of note, selected Col-loaded NEM were found to kill P. aeruginosa biofilm and to display a prolonged efficacy in biofilm eradication compared to the free Col. This effect was likely ascribable to the ability of NPs to penetrate into bacterial biofilm, as demonstrated by confocal analysis, and to sustain Col release inside it. Taken all together, our results indicate that adequate engineering of PLGA NPs represents an enticing technological approach to harness novel antimicrobials for P. aeruginosa lung infection, such as CAMPs, especially in C
Structure-function relationship of temporins, small anti-microbial peptides from amphibian skin
No full textEffects of the antimicrobial peptide temporin L on cell morphology, membrane permeability and viability of Escherichia coli
No full textThe P-113 peptide: new experimental evidences on its biological activity and conformational insights from Molecular Dynamics simulations.
No full textEsculentin-1b(1-18)--a membrane-active antimicrobial peptide that synergizes with antibiotics and modifies the expression level of a limited number of proteins in Escherichia coli
No full textAntimicrobial peptides constitute one of the main classes of molecular
weapons deployed by the innate immune system of all multicellular
organisms to resist microbial invasion. A good proportion of all antimicrobial
peptides currently known, numbering hundreds of molecules, have
been isolated from frog skin. Nevertheless, very little is known about the
effect(s) and the mode(s) of action of amphibian antimicrobial peptides
on intact bacteria, especially when they are used at subinhibitory concentrations
and under conditions closer to those encountered in vivo. Here
we show that esculentin-1b(1–18) [Esc(1–18)] (GIFSKLAGKKLKNLLISG-
NH2), a linear peptide encompassing the first 18 residues of the
full-length esculentin-1b, rapidly kills Escherichia coli at the minimal
inhibitory concentration. The lethal event is concomitant with the permeation
of the outer and inner bacterial membranes. This is in contrast to
what is found for many host defense peptides, which do not destabilize
membranes at their minimal inhibitory concentrations. Importantly, proteomic
analysis revealed that Esc(1–18) has a limited ability to modify the
bacterium’s protein expression profile, at either bactericidal or sublethal
concentrations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on
the effects of an antimicrobial peptide from frog skin on the proteome of
its bacterial target, and underscores the fact that the bacterial membrane
is the major target for the killing mechanism of Esc(1–18), rather than
intracellular processes
Bronchial epithelium repair by Esculentin-1a-derived antimicrobial peptides: involvement of metalloproteinase-9 and interleukin-8, and evaluation of peptides’ immunogenicity
Get PDFThe airway epithelium is seriously damaged upon pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, especially in cystic fibrosis (CF) sufferers. Therefore, the discovery of novel anti-infective agents accelerating healing of infected injured tissues is crucial. The antipseudomonal peptides esculentin-1a(1-21)NH2 and its diastereomer Esc(1-21)-1c (Esc peptides) hold promise in this respect. In fact, they stimulate airway epithelial wound repair, but no mechanistic insights are available. Here we demonstrated that this process occurs through promotion of cell migration by an indirect activation of epidermal growth factor receptor mediated by metalloproteinases. Furthermore, we showed an increased expression of metalloproteinase 9, at both gene and protein levels, in peptide-treated bronchial epithelial cells with a functional or mutated form of CF transmembrane conductance regulator. In addition, the two peptides counteracted the inhibitory effect of Pseudomonas lipopolysaccharide (mimicking an infection condition) on the wound healing activity of the airway epithelium, and they enhanced the production of interleukin-8 from both types of cells. Finally, no immunogenicity was discovered for Esc peptides, suggesting their potential safety for clinical usage. Besides representing a step forward in understanding the molecular mechanism underlying the peptide-induced wound healing activity, these studies have contributed to highlight Esc peptides as valuable therapeutics with multiple functions
Overcoming barriers in Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections: Engineered nanoparticles for local delivery of a cationic antimicrobial peptide
No full textCationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) are very promising in the treatment of multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections experienced by cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Nevertheless, there is an urgent need of inhalable formulations able to deliver the intact CAMP in conductive airways and to shield its interactions with airway mucus/bacterial biofilm, thus enhancing CAMP/bacteria interactions. Along these lines, the aim of this work was the design and development of nano-embedded microparticles (NEM) for sustained delivery of CAMPs in the lung. To this purpose, nanoparticles (NPs) made of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) containing a model CAMP, colistin (Col), were produced by emulsion/solvent diffusion technique. Engineering NPs with chitosan (CS) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) allowed to modulate surface properties and, in so doing, to improve NP transport through artificial CF mucus. In order to achieve a long-term stable dosage form useful for NP inhalation, NPs were spray-dried in different carriers (lactose or mannitol), thus producing NEM. The most promising NEM formulations were selected on the basis of bulk and flow properties, distribution of NPs in the carrier and aerosolization performance upon delivery through a breath-actuated dry powder inhaler. Of note, selected Col-loaded NEM were found to kill P. aeruginosa biofilm and to display a prolonged efficacy in biofilm eradication compared to the free Col. This effect was likely ascribable to the ability of NPs to penetrate into bacterial biofilm, as demonstrated by confocal analysis, and to sustain Col release inside it. Taken all together, our results indicate that adequate engineering of PLGA NPs represents an enticing technological approach to harness novel antimicrobials for P. aeruginosa lung infection, such as CAMPs, especially in CF
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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