Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marina Canadas-Ortega, Clara Gomez-Cruz, Juan Jose Vaquero, Arrate Munoz-Barrutia
Summary: The high mortality associated with tuberculosis has led to the urgent need for new therapies and strategies. Microfluidic devices have the potential to improve treatment prescription and advance our understanding of the disease. Additionally, they offer advantages in terms of time and costs, which is especially important for countries with limited resources. This article highlights the applications of microdevices in drug testing, drug susceptibility, basic research, and novel approaches to anti-TB vaccines and organ-on-chip studies.
NANOTECHNOLOGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Joanna Kasznia-Brown
Summary: Tuberculosis remains a significant cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, especially in developing countries. Collaboration and partnership among the international community is crucial in improving the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients. This article examines the global resources available to doctors and healthcare professionals in combating TB, including international programs, policies, and healthcare pathways. It particularly emphasizes the role of international pediatric radiology in enhancing diagnostics, highlighting educational resources and support at global, regional, national, and individual levels.
PEDIATRIC RADIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Akshayata Naidu, Smruti Sudha Nayak, S. Sajitha Lulu, Vino Sundararajan
Summary: According to WHO estimates, around 1.6 million people died from Tuberculosis in 2021. Multi-drug resistant strains of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis pose a significant risk to global populations. While a long-term protective vaccine is still being developed, computational tools and algorithms have shown promise in early TB diagnosis, anti-mycobacterium drug discovery, and the design of next-generation TB vaccines. In this review, recent studies utilizing advanced computational tools are summarized, along with insights into their prospects and applications against TB.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Timo Ulrichs
Summary: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the fight against chronic pandemics such as tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. Tuberculosis saw a resurgence in deaths in 2020 after a decade of decline. It became the infectious disease with the second-highest fatality rate caused by a single pathogen, with 1.6 million deaths in 2021. The World Health Organization expects this trend to continue in the years to come, even after the COVID-19 pandemic. More efforts are needed to strengthen TB control as part of overall healthcare measures.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Sepideh Mirzaei, Mohammad Hossein Gholami, Amirhossein Zabolian, Hossein Saleki, Mahdi Vasheghani Farahani, Soodeh Hamzehlou, Fatemeh Bakhtiari Far, Seyed Omid Sharifzadeh, Saeed Samarghandian, Haroon Khan, Amir Reza Aref, Milad Ashrafizadeh, Ali Zarrabi, Gautam Sethi
Summary: Caffeic acid and caffeic acid phenethyl ester have anti-tumor activity and can impact cancer progression through multiple molecular pathways, as well as enhance the response of cancer cells to chemotherapy.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Eduardo Rodriguez-Bustamante, Saul Gomez-Manzo, Alvaro De Obeso Fernandez del Valle, Roberto Arreguin-Espinosa, Clara Espitia-Pinzon, Eden Rodriguez-Flores
Summary: Tuberculosis is a global health threat with drug resistance posing a significant challenge. Despite preventive measures and conventional treatments, there is a pressing need to find alternative drugs and novel vaccines to combat this disease.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nguyen-Hung Le, Patricia Constant, Samuel Tranier, Virginie Nahoum, Valerie Guillet, Laurent Maveyraud, Mamadou Daffe, Lionel Mourey, Pierre Verhaeghe, Hedia Marrakchi
Summary: Tuberculosis is a global health crisis with limited treatment options and drug resistance issues. Developing drugs targeting enzymes involved in cell envelope synthesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is crucial. Through a drug repurposing campaign, salicylanilide closantel and its derivatives were discovered as potential candidates for novel anti-tubercular drugs.
BIOORGANIC & MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Allergy
Yaqi Wu, Maopeng Tian, Yandi Zhang, Huiming Peng, Qing Lei, Xuefeng Yuan, Shijie Liu, Yulong Xiong, Xiaosong Lin, Banga Ndzouboukou Jo-Lewis, Zongjie Yao, Hui Fu, Xionglin Fan
Summary: The study identified that the insufficient efficacy of the BCG vaccine is due to the important autophagy-inhibition gene BCG_2432c, which blocks the autophagosome-lysosome pathway of antigen presentation. The mutant strain Delta BCG_2432c showed stronger protection against intranasal TB in vaccinated mice, likely attributed to its ability to trigger intracellular ROS-mediated complete autophagic flux in infected cells, resulting in higher antigen presentation.
Review
Cell Biology
Anmol Raien, Sofia Davis, Michelle Zhang, David Zitser, Michelle Lin, Graysen Pitcher, Krishna Bhalodia, Selvakumar Subbian, Vishwanath Venketaraman
Summary: The phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (P13K/AKT/mTOR) pathway is crucial in tuberculosis (TB) pathogenesis and infection. Manipulating this pathway has potential benefits for host-directed therapies. The mTOR inhibitor everolimus shows promise in TB treatment by reducing glycolytic activity and mitigating lung inflammation.
Editorial Material
Medicine, General & Internal
Eric F. Egelund, Amy L. Bucciarelli
Summary: This article reviews the artwork of visual artist Paula Siniatkina, who uses her experience as a previously quarantined and treated tuberculosis patient to create art that represents and destigmatizes the disease.
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Felix Wong, Cesar de la Fuente-nunez, James J. Collins
Summary: Despite advancements in various fields, infectious diseases still pose a significant threat to public health. Combating pathogen outbreaks, pandemics, and antimicrobial resistance requires interdisciplinary efforts. With the integration of systems and synthetic biology, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable tool in anti-infective drug discovery, understanding infection biology, and accelerating diagnostics. This review explores the current progress supported by AI and discusses potential future applications in controlling infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics.
Review
Immunology
Ioannis Eleftherianos, Christa Heryanto, Taha Bassal, Wei Zhang, Gianluca Tettamanti, Amr Mohamed
Summary: Insect host defence involves a combination of cellular and humoral responses, with cellular immunity mechanisms like phagocytosis and encapsulation being mediated by haemocytes. The distinction between cellular and humoral immune reactions is not clear-cut, with overlap between hemocyte and humoral functions in fighting foreign intruders and forming clots. Understanding the multilayered nature of insect cellular immunity is crucial for combating different pathogens and stages of infection.
Review
Immunology
Prashanta Silwal, Seungwha Paik, Jin Kyung Kim, Tamotsu Yoshimori, Eun-Kyeong Jo
Summary: This review discusses the role of autophagy in restricting the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the potential of autophagy-modulating agents as host-directed therapeutics. Molecular mechanisms involved include various signaling pathways and factors, and a further understanding of these mechanisms will aid in the development of host-directed therapies against tuberculosis and other intracellular bacterial infections targeted by autophagic degradation.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Miroslav Ilic, Dragan Bjelic, Jovan Javorac, Kristina Tot Veres, Dejan Zivanovic, Dragica Kovacevic, Nikola Maric, Nensi Lalic, Nikola Colic, Mihailo Stjepanovic
Summary: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess patients' knowledge of tuberculosis and its relationship to their socio-demographic status. The study included 1,067 respiratory patients who were surveyed at the Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina (Serbia), and they completed a questionnaire designed for this study.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Kanchi Baijal, Michael Downey
Summary: Polyphosphate (polyP) is a conserved molecule that plays critical roles in bacterial stress responses, biofilm formation, and virulence. A recent study identified gallein as a dual-specificity inhibitor against two families of PPK enzymes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This discovery may provide a new tool for further research on fundamental PPK and polyP functions in bacteria.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
So Jung Park, Rebecca A. Frake, Cansu Karabiyik, Sung Min Son, Farah H. Siddiqi, Carla F. Bento, Peter Sterk, Mariella Vicinanza, Mariana Pavel, David C. Rubinsztein
Summary: Autophagy decreases in aging mammalian brains, possibly mediated by increasing levels of vinexin. Knockdown of the SORBS3 gene can promote autophagy.
CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
A. Raquel Esteves, Mario F. Munoz-Pinto, Daniela Nunes-Costa, Emanuel Candeias, Diana F. Silva, Joao D. Magalhaes, A. Raquel Pereira-Santos, I. Luisa Ferreira, Susana Alarico, Igor Tiago, Nuno Empadinhas, Sandra Morais Cardoso
Summary: This study aims to demonstrate that the effects of microbial toxin BMAA in the gut may trigger some cases of PD, and it can spread from the gut to the brain, leading to the development of PD. This finding is crucial for understanding the pathological progression of PD.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Marta Acebron-Garcia-de-Eulate, Joan Mayol-Llinas, Matthew T. O. Holland, So Yeon Kim, Karen P. Brown, Chiara Marchetti, Jeannine Hess, Ornella Di Pietro, Vitor Mendes, Chris Abell, R. Andres Floto, Anthony G. Coyne, Tom L. Blundell
Summary: This study utilized a fragment-based drug discovery approach to target the MurB protein in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The findings revealed that a phenylpyrazole scaffold binds to MurB, and through structure optimization, a small molecule with higher affinity was obtained.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Sitthivut Charoensutthivarakul, Sherine E. Thomas, Amy Curran, Karen P. Brown, Juan M. Belardinelli, Andrew J. Whitehouse, Marta Acebron-Garcia-de-Eulate, Jaspar Sangan, Subramanian G. Gramani, Mary Jackson, Vitor Mendes, R. Andres Floto, Tom L. Blundell, Anthony G. Coyne, Chris Abell
Summary: This study identified SAICAR synthetase as a promising target for novel antibiotics against Mycobacterium abscessus. A series of compounds with potent inhibitory activity were developed through fragment library screening and crystallographic screening, providing potential for drug development against Mab.
ACS INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Cristiana S. A. Bento, Susana Alarico, Nuno Empadinhas, Herminio C. de Sousa, Mara E. M. Braga
Summary: The study demonstrates that supercritical CO2 drying and sterilization can effectively sterilize alginate-gelatine aerogels without causing degradation, maintaining their physical properties while eliminating natural contaminant microorganisms. This innovative method has great potential for applications in regenerative medicine.
JOURNAL OF SUPERCRITICAL FLUIDS
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Sara Goncalves, Daniela Nunes-Costa, Sandra Morais Cardoso, Nuno Empadinhas, John David Marugg
Summary: Serotonin is a vital compound found in animals, plants, and bacteria. It plays critical roles in regulating body functions and its depletion is associated with neurological disorders in humans. Investigating the biosynthetic pathways of serotonin in bacteria, which may serve as a potential source of serotonin, could lead to important discoveries and the development of new therapeutic strategies.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sherine E. Thomas, William J. McCarthy, Jamal El Bakali, Karen P. Brown, So Yeon Kim, Michal Blaszczyk, Vitor Mendes, Chris Abell, R. Andres Floto, Anthony G. Coyne, Tom L. Blundell
Summary: Antimicrobial resistance is a serious global healthcare concern. This study identifies the non-tuberculous mycobacterium M. abscessus phosphopantetheine adenylyl transferase (PPAT) as a potential target for the development of new antibiotics. The researchers provide structural insights and identify early-stage lead molecules, demonstrating the ligandability of M. abscessus PPAT as an antibiotic target.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Helena Nunes Costa, Ana Raquel Esteves, Nuno Empadinhas, Sandra Morais Cardoso
Summary: The perception of sporadic Parkinson's disease has significantly changed in recent decades. It is now recognized as a multiorgan and multisystemic pathology that arises from the interaction of susceptible genetic factors with a challenging environment during aging-related decline.
NEUROSCIENCE BULLETIN
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Diana Filipa Silva, Nuno Empadinhas, Sandra Morais Cardoso, Ana Raquel Esteves
Summary: Inflammation and oxidative stress play significant roles in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Dysregulation of the immune system, mitochondrial dysfunction, and disrupted gut microbiota composition can lead to chronic systemic inflammation, impair blood-brain barrier function, and promote neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.
Article
Biology
Ana Maranha, Mafalda Costa, Jorge Ripoll-Rozada, Jose A. Manso, Vanessa Miranda, Vera M. Mendes, Bruno Manadas, Sandra Macedo-Ribeiro, M. Rita Ventura, Pedro Jose Barbosa Pereira, Nuno Empadinhas
Summary: The mechanism of MMP biogenesis in NTM, involving MmpH and ManT, has been characterized. The structures of MmpH and ManT are presented. The increasing number of NTM infections highlights the importance of understanding their unique physiology as a health priority.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joao D. Magalhaes, Emanuel Candeias, Ines Melo-Marques, Diana F. Silva, A. Raquel Esteves, Nuno Empadinhas, Sandra Morais Cardoso
Summary: Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons. It has been found that autonomic symptoms and a-synuclein pathology in peripheral tissues are related in the early stage. By infecting the gut with Listeria monocytogenes, we observed oligomerization of a-synuclein in the ileum, along with a pro-inflammatory response and neuronal mitochondria dysfunction.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joao D. Magalhaes, Ana Raquel Esteves, Emanuel Candeias, Diana F. F. Silva, Nuno Empadinhas, Sandra Morais Cardoso
Summary: Mitochondria, which evolved from an endosymbiotic association, play a crucial role in regulating host metabolism, immunity, and cellular homeostasis. They share certain features with bacteria, known as mitochondrial-derived damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), and their activities can be modulated by extracellular bacteria. In this study, it was found that mesencephalic neurons exposed to an environmental alphaproteobacterium activate innate immunity and show increased expression and aggregation of alpha-synuclein, which interacts with mitochondria, leading to dysfunction. These findings provide insights into the interaction between bacteria and neuronal mitochondria in triggering neuronal damage and neuroinflammation, and the role of bacterial-derived pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in Parkinson's disease.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Patricia Coimbra, Susana Alarico, Nuno Empadinhas, Mara E. M. Braga, Marisa C. Gaspar
Summary: Edible films composed of starch-based materials enriched with agrifood residues were studied for the incorporation of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus and the addition of inulin as a prebiotic. The films showed varying mechanical properties depending on the composition, but all had water vapor permeabilities within the typical range. Viability of the probiotic during film production was influenced by the pH of the film-forming solutions. Films with agrifood residues had slower loss of probiotic viability during storage, possibly due to the presence of antioxidant compounds. The films were also shown to be free from foodborne pathogens, making them a promising material for probiotic delivery and food packaging.
INNOVATIVE FOOD SCIENCE & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Cristiana S. A. Bento, Henrique Carrelo, Susana Alarico, Nuno Empadinhas, Herminio C. de Sousa, Maria Teresa Cidade, Mara E. M. Braga
Summary: Biopolymers are suitable for wound dressing solutions due to their ideal properties. PEC-based cryogels can be formed by mixing two oppositely charged macromolecules. ScCO2 has shown promise as an alternative method for decontamination, as it does not compromise the physicochemical properties of cryogels.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Medicine, General & Internal
S. M. Cardoso, N. Empadinhas
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2022)