Article
Chemistry, Applied
Dimuthu Bogahawaththa, Todor Vasiljevic
Summary: Shearing can alter the secondary structure and denaturation extent of proteins, with different effects observed for IgG and BSA. Shearing at specific temperatures may have a countereffect against thermal denaturation, while in most conditions, shearing induced denaturation of proteins.
FOOD HYDROCOLLOIDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Elham Ziaee, Behzad Shareghi, Sadegh Farhadian
Summary: BSA, as a carrier protein, plays important roles in maintaining extracellular fluid volume stability and interacting with polyamines such as spermine. The binding of spermine to BSA alters its structure and significantly affects its fluorescence properties, indicating a stabilizing effect of spermine on BSA.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ling Xiang, Changlong Fang, Jiaxing Feng, Yulu Tan, Qingsi Wu, Xueru Zhou, Jia Li, Tao Gong
Summary: Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women, with the liver being the primary organ for metastasis. The newly synthesized PSA NPs have a significantly higher uptake in macrophages compared to HSA NPs. By combining paclitaxel's characteristics of not killing macrophages and polarizing them into M1 macrophages, PTX-PSA NPs achieved dual targeting of macrophages and tumor cells, improving the tumor microenvironment and exhibiting a more effective anti-breast cancer effect than PTX-HSA NPs. Furthermore, by utilizing the low vascular perfusion characteristic of breast cancer liver metastasis and the ability of macrophages to release paclitaxel, macrophages were used as a delivery system for breast cancer liver metastasis, making PTX-PSA NPs superior to PTX-HSA NPs in achieving anti-breast cancer liver metastasis.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS AND BIOPHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Spectroscopy
Zsolt Preisz, Sandor Kunsagi-Mate
Summary: The study found that both methotrexate and its photodegradation products bind to human serum albumin through entropy-driven interactions, leading to increased stability of the albumin. Additionally, the presence of methotrexate increases the activation energy, which may contribute to fine tuning methotrexate applications in therapy.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2021)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Guowei Zhou, Yumeng Xu, Yuqing Zhai, Zhen Gong, Kun Xu, Gaoyuan Wang, Chenhua Sun, Chaoqun Ma
Summary: This study found a significant correlation between serum palmitic acid (sPA) and thyroid function in the US population, especially with free thyroxine (FT4) and FT3/FT4 ratio. These associations were more pronounced in male and obese subjects.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juergen Gindlhuber, Maximilian Schinagl, Laura Liesinger, Barbara Darnhofer, Tamara Tomin, Matthias Schittmayer, Ruth Birner-Gruenberger
Summary: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has a high prevalence and is related to the types and concentrations of fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids impair cell growth and lipid droplet formation, potentially leading to cell death, while oleic acid and mixtures containing oleic acid do not have adverse effects on cell growth and promote lipid droplet accumulation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Daniel Toerocsik, Fruzsina Fazekas, Szilard Poliska, Andrea Gregus, Eszter Anna Janka, Katalin Dull, Andrea Szegedi, Christos C. Zouboulis, Dora Kovacs
Summary: The study revealed that EGF is a potent stimulator of sebocyte proliferation and induces the secretion of interleukin 6, while down-regulating genes involved in steroid and retinoid metabolism. Additionally, when combined with palmitic acid, EGF can decrease the lipid accumulation induced by palmitic acid and increase IL6 secretion.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Wanlin Zhan, Wei Tian, Wenlu Zhang, Hua Tian, Ting Sun
Summary: In this study, the researchers found that ANGPTL4 promotes endothelial cell proliferation and protects against palmitic acid-induced endothelial injury by increasing autophagy, which may have a protective effect on the development of atherosclerosis.
CELLULAR SIGNALLING
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lili Cao, Siming Zhou, Xueshan Qiu, Shui Qiu
Summary: Trehalose can alleviate high fat-induced osteoporosis by modulating autophagy to inhibit apoptosis. Additionally, SIRT3 is also involved in the therapeutic effects of Trehalose.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Mingmin Zhang, Robin A. Hutchinson
Summary: Three process variations were developed to synthesize dextran-bovine serum albumin (BSA) model conjugate through the Maillard reaction and a Schiff base-Amadori solid phase rearrangement mechanism. The purified conjugate solution was further heated to form nanogels with a hydrodynamic diameter of 195-400 nm.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Ziqiao Yan, Minyi He, Yuwei Zhang, Gengxin Hu, Hong Li
Summary: The study demonstrates that methylene blue can significantly amplify the oxidation signals of tyrosine residues in proteins. By evaluating various factors, the mechanism of signal amplification is determined. This method of signal enhancement shows good selectivity, high reproducibility, and strong anti-interference ability.
JOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rashid Waseem, Neetu Singh Yadav, Tanzeel Khan, Faizan Ahmad, Syed Naqui Kazim, Md Imtaiyaz Hassan, Amresh Prakash, Asimul Islam
Summary: In this study, urea-induced denaturation was used to investigate the conformational changes of irisin. The results showed that the unfolding of irisin occurs in a biphasic manner, with an intermediate state (I) populated at 2.5 M urea concentration. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirmed the presence of a molten globule state during the unfolding process of irisin.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kris Genelyn Dimasuay, Bruce Berg, Niccolette Schaunaman, Hong Wei Chu
Summary: Mitochondrial dysfunction is common in pathological conditions such as obesity, and the release of mtDNA during this dysfunction plays a role in promoting leukocyte inflammation. However, the mechanisms by which mtDNA induces inflammation and its release in an obese setting are still unclear.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lenka Hernychova, Eleni Alexandri, Andreas G. Tzakos, Martina Zatloukalova, Alexandra Primikyri, Ioannis P. Gerothanassis, Lukas Uhrik, Marek Sebela, David Kopecy, Lukas Jedinak, Jan Vacek
Summary: This work investigates the interaction between 9/10-nitro-oleic acid (NO2-OA) and human serum albumin (HSA). The study reveals that NO2-OA can non-covalently bind to HSA and has a higher affinity to HSA compared to oleic acid (OA).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Baoquan Han, Jiachen Guo, Bo Zhou, Chunxiao Li, Tian Qiao, Lei Hua, Yinuo Jiang, Zihang Mai, Shuai Yu, Yu Tian, Xiaoyuan Zhang, Dongliang Lu, Bin Wang, Zhongyi Sun, Lan Li
Summary: In recent years, the quality of male semen has been decreasing, and the number of male infertilities caused by asthenozoospermia is increasing. It was found that chestnut polysaccharide can alter the intestinal microbiota and improve the testicular microenvironment, thereby improving the impaired spermatogenesis process. However, the exact metabolome-related repair mechanism of chestnut polysaccharide is still unclear.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Liangchen Zhang, Yaxun Fan, Luciano Galantini, Karin Schillen, Alessandra Del Giudice, Guanqun Du, Yilin Wang
Summary: A class of noncovalent antimicrobials composed of bile acid oligomers and polyamines has been developed, showing strong antibacterial activity against methicillinand vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus without significant cytotoxicity and skin irritation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francesca Paoletti, Sonia Covaceuszach, Alberto Cassetta, Antonio N. N. Calabrese, Urban Novak, Petr Konarev, Joze Grdadolnik, Doriano Lamba, Simona Golic Grdadolnik
Summary: Nerve growth factor (NGF) and its precursor, proNGF, play different roles in neuronal maintenance and apoptosis. The binding of NGF or proNGF to receptors triggers intracellular signaling pathways, which can be modulated by small-molecule ligands. ATP binds to the pro-peptide of proNGF with a micromolar dissociation constant, and this interaction is modulated by Mg2+. The binding of ATP induces a conformational rearrangement of the flexible pro-peptide domain, suggesting its role as an allosteric modulator of proNGF conformation.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Cristina Tortolini, Valeria Gigli, Antonio Angeloni, Luciano Galantini, Federico Tasca, Riccarda Antiochia
Summary: In this work, a simple electrochemical immunosensor was developed for the detection of D-dimer protein in human plasma samples. The immunosensor was constructed by drop-casting chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) as a biocompatible support, Protein A (PrA) to facilitate antibody orientation, and D-dimer antibody onto a carboxyl functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes screen printed electrode (MWCNTs-SPE). The immunosensor showed promising performance in antibody immobilization and specific D-dimer detection, with a linear range from 2 to 500 μg L-1, LOD of 0.6 μg L-1, and sensitivity of 1.3 μA L μg(-1) cm(-2). The stability and fast response time (5 s) were also reported. Moreover, the immunosensor demonstrated satisfactory results in detecting D-dimer in human plasma samples.
Article
Biophysics
Joerg Ehrit, Tobias W. Graewert, Hendrik Goeddeke, Petr Konarev, Dmitri I. Svergun, Norbert Nagel
Summary: This study investigated the structural organization of polysorbate micelles, both alone and in the presence of myristic acid. The results showed that the micelles were polydisperse ellipsoidal structures containing about 22-35 molecules per micelle. Addition of myristic acid had minimal effects on the scattering data at low concentrations, but increased the average size of the micelles at high concentrations, indicating penetration of myristic acid into the surfactant micelles. These findings provide insights into the role of polysorbate in preventing or delaying fatty acid particle formation.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alessandra Del Giudice, Libero Gurrieri, Luciano Galantini, Silvia Fanti, Paolo Trost, Francesca Sparla, Simona Fermani
Summary: CP12 is a redox-dependent conditionally disordered protein found in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. It acts as a light-dependent redox switch in regulating the metabolic phase of photosynthesis. A small angle X-ray scattering analysis confirmed the disordered nature of this protein and showed a decrease in size and conformational disorder upon oxidation. The presence of disulfide bonds in the oxidized form does not confer rigidity to the protein structure, highlighting the importance of recruiting partner proteins for its final folding.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Julia Jianwei Tan, Natalie Gjerde, Alessandra Del Giudice, Kenneth D. Knudsen, Luciano Galantini, Guanqun Du, Karin Schillen, Sverre Arne Sande, Bo Nystrom
Summary: This study investigates the interactions between cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose (catHEC) and sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) or sodium cholate (NaC). It is found that there are strong interactions between catHEC and NaDC, while the interactions with NaC are weak. This difference may be due to the ability of NaDC to form more connections and entanglements.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Timur N. Bozin, Igor M. Berdyshev, Ksenia N. Chukhontseva, Maria A. Karaseva, Petr V. Konarev, Anna M. Varizhuk, Dmitry M. Lesovoy, Alexander S. Arseniev, Sergey V. Kostrov, Eduard V. Bocharov, Ilya V. Demidyuk
Summary: A new protein inhibitor called M4in was discovered in the bacterium Serratia proteamaculans and its mechanism of action is still unknown. This inhibitor may play a role in regulating bacterial pathogenesis by controlling the activity of a protease called protealysin-like proteases (PLPs). The researchers determined the 3D structure of M4in using NMR spectroscopy and proposed a molecular mechanism for the inhibitor based on their model analysis and site-directed mutagenesis.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Anna S. Kichkailo, Andrey A. Narodov, Maria A. Komarova, Tatiana N. Zamay, Galina S. Zamay, Olga S. Kolovskaya, Evgeniy E. Erakhtin, Yury E. Glazyrin, Dmitry V. Veprintsev, Roman Moryachkov, Vladimir V. Zabluda, Irina Shchugoreva, Polina Artyushenko, Vladimir A. Mironov, Dmitry I. Morozov, Vladimir A. Khorzhevskii, Anton Gorbushin, Anastasia A. Koshmanova, Elena D. Nikolaeva, Igor P. Grinev, Ivan I. Voronkovskii, Daniil S. Grek, Kirill Belugin, Alexander A. Volzhentsev, Oleg N. Badmaev, Natalia A. Luzan, Kirill A. Lukyanenko, Georgy Peters, Ivan N. Lapin, Andrey K. Kirichenko, Petr Konarev, Evgeny Morozov, Gleb G. Mironov, Ana Gargaun, Darija Muharemagic, Sergey S. Zamay, Elena Kochkina, Maya A. Dymova, Tatiana E. Smolyarova, Alexey E. Sokolov, Andrey A. Modestov, Nikolay A. Tokarev, Nikolay Shepelevich, Anastasia Ozerskaya, Natalia G. Chanchikova, Alexey Krat, Ruslan A. Zukov, Varvara I. Bakhtina, Pavel G. Shnyakin, Pavel A. Shesternya, Valery A. Svetlichnyi, Marina M. Petrova, Ivan P. Artyukhov, Felix N. Tomilin, Maxim Berezovski
Summary: We developed DNA aptamers that specifically bind to glial tumor cells for visualization diagnostics of central nervous system tumors. These aptamers were selected to bind to postoperative human glial primary tumors and not to healthy brain cells and meningioma. The study involved sequencing and analyzing ssDNA pools, determining three-dimensional structures, isolating and identifying molecular target proteins, and verifying binding sites and post-translational modifications. The aptamers were successfully used for detection, staining, and visualization of brain tumors.
MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS
(2023)
Article
Crystallography
Felix N. Chukhovskii, Petr V. Konarev, Vladimir V. Volkov
Summary: The central point of validity in computer X-ray diffraction micro tomography is to enhance the digital contrast and spatial resolution of 3D-recovered nano-scaled objects in crystals. To tackle this issue, denoising of 2D image patterns data involved in the 3D high-resolution recovery processing is addressed. The effectiveness of the statistical average hypothesis is demonstrated through the recovery of nano-scaled crystal structures and the validation using the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) criterion.
Article
Crystallography
Margarita A. A. Marchenkova, Sergei V. V. Chapek, Petr V. V. Konarev, Ksenia B. B. Ilina, Georgy S. S. Peters, Yury V. V. Pisarevsky, Vladimir A. A. Shishkov, Alexander V. V. Soldatov, Mikhail V. V. Kovalchuk
Summary: A multichannel microfluidic cell(MFC)obtained using 3D printing was used to study the structure of complex solutions by small-angle X-ray scattering(SAXS)at the BioMUR beamline of the Kurchatov synchrotron. A comparative analysis of SAXS signal showed that MFC has significant advantages over the standard capillary. The dynamics of SAXS scattering curves for lysozyme solutions were investigated, and the obtained data were consistent with known data.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Iolanda Francolini, Luciano Galantini, Fernando Rea, Cristiano Di Cosimo, Pierpaolo Di Cosimo
Summary: Polymeric wet-strength agents are important additives used in the paper industry to improve paper products' mechanical properties when exposed to water. They enhance durability, strength, and dimensional stability. This review provides an overview of wet-strength agents, their mechanisms, challenges, and recent advances in developing sustainable and environmentally friendly agents. As demand for sustainable and durable paper products grows, the use of wet-strength agents is expected to increase.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Elena Allegritti, Sara Battista, Maria Anna Maggi, Claudia Marconi, Luciano Galantini, Luisa Giansanti
Summary: This study focuses on the preparation and characterization of mixed liposomes for delivering levodopa and two natural substances to treat Parkinson's disease. The results show that the composition of the liposomes plays a significant role in the delivery of levodopa.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Natalie Solfrid Gjerde, Alessandra Del Giudice, Kaizheng Zhu, Kenneth D. Knudsen, Luciano Galantini, Karin Schillen, Bo Nystrom
Summary: In this study, a diblock copolymer called methoxy-poly(ethyleneglycol)-block-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (MPEG-b-PCL) was synthesized with a unique block composition that allows it to exhibit both an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) and a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in aqueous solutions. The UCST value was found to be 32°C upon heating and 23°C upon cooling, while the LCST remained unaffected. Various characterization techniques revealed that the solution consisted of spherical core-shell particles and rodlike objects at intermediate temperatures, cylindrical core-shell crystals at low temperatures, and large aggregation complexes at temperatures above 52°C. This work provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between UCST and LCST and the resulting structures formed in aqueous solutions of MPEG-b-PCL diblock copolymers.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
M. A. Marchenkova, A. S. Boikova, K. B. Ilina, P. V. Konarev, Yu. V. Pisarevsky, Yu. A. Dyakova, M. V. Kovalchuk
Summary: A model for the transition from disordered liquid state to the solid phase has been proposed based on the correlation between precursor clusters and solid phase formation. The model was experimentally validated by studying the oligomeric structure of lysozyme protein solutions and the peculiarities of solid phase formation. The results showed that the presence of octamers is necessary for solid phase formation, with perfect monocrystals forming at low octamer concentrations, mass crystallization occurring at higher supersaturation, and an amorphous phase forming at high octamer concentrations.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ivan Reznik, Mikhail A. Baranov, Sergei A. Cherevkov, Petr V. Konarev, Vladimir V. Volkov, Stanislav Moshkalev, Daria B. Trushina
Summary: This study addresses the challenge of continuous CaCO3 particle synthesis using microfluidic technology. CaCO3 nanoparticles in vaterite form were successfully synthesized using a custom microfluidic chip. The two-phase synthesis method inside emulsion microreactors demonstrated superior performance in terms of size control compared with the one-phase approach. The ability to obtain CaCO3 nanoparticles in the desired polymorph form with the possibility of scaling up the synthesis opens up opportunities for various industrial applications of the developed two-phase microfluidic method.