Article
Infectious Diseases
Oktawian Stachurski, Damian Neubauer, Aleksandra Walewska, Emilia Ilowska, Marta Bauer, Sylwia Bartoszewska, Karol Sikora, Aleksandra Hac, Dariusz Wyrzykowski, Adam Prahl, Wojciech Kamysz, Emilia Sikorska
Summary: This study investigates short cationic antimicrobial lipopeptides with a high propensity to fibrillate, which exhibit high activity and stability on bacterial membranes, and low cytotoxicity against human cells. The findings suggest that monomers are the main active form and the target of action of the lipopeptides is the bacterial membrane.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Fei Peng, Yongzhu Chen, Jing Liu, Zhihua Xing, Jing Fan, Wensheng Zhang, Feng Qiu
Summary: A simple strategy was proposed to design gemini surfactant-like peptides, and a peptide named APK was successfully designed with strong self-assembly and hydrophobic encapsulation capabilities. Furthermore, APK showed potential for anti-tumor, anesthetic, and antimicrobial applications.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Priscila Cardoso, Samuel Appiah Danso, Andrew Hung, Chaitali Dekiwadia, Nimish Pradhan, Jamie Strachan, Brody McDonald, Kate Firipis, Jacinta F. White, Arturo Aburto-Medina, Charlotte E. Conn, Celine Valery
Summary: Microbial resistance to antibiotics is becoming a major crisis, and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are being explored as an alternative. This study reports the design of Fmoc-peptides with dual functionality, as antimicrobial agents and hydrogelators. Molecular dynamics simulations predicted the self-assembly of Priscilicidin into nanostructures in water, and experimental results confirmed its antimicrobial activity and hydrogel-forming capacity, including against multidrug resistant strains.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Ziv Azoulay, Polina Aibinder, Ayala Gancz, Jacob Moran-Gilad, Shiri Navon-Venezia, Hanna Rapaport
Summary: FKF, a tripeptide with potential antimicrobial activity, forms a pure peptide hydrogel phase made of natural amino acids. The hydrogel exhibits bactericidal activity against E. coli and P. aeruginosa, and reduces P. aeruginosa contamination in a rat skin lesion model.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaoting Peng, Jiachen Hao, Wenwen Tao, Diange Guo, Tiantian Liang, Xuelei Hu, Hai Xu, Xinglong Fan, Cuixia Chen
Summary: In response to the increasing incidence of melanoma, we have designed a self-assembling peptide that is activated by tyrosinase and exhibits toxicity to melanoma cells, leading to apoptosis. This design effectively inhibited melanoma growth in a mouse model with minimal side effects.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jing Zhang, Haoning Gong, Mingrui Liao, Zongyi Li, Ralf Schweins, Jeffrey Penny, Jian R. Lu
Summary: The research designed a group of short AMPs with high antifungal activities against Candida species and Cryptococcus neoformans, some of which showed effectiveness against fungal biofilms with low cytotoxicity to host cells. The fast action and high selectivity of these AMPs were found to be correlated to their fast membrane lysis, evidenced by various measurements and simulations.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Claudiane Almeida, Caio F. R. de Oliveira, Edson L. dos Santos, Helder F. dos Santos, Edson C. Junior, Reinaldo Marchetto, Leticia A. da Cruz, Alda Maria T. Ferreira, Valdirene M. Gomes, Gabriel B. Taveira, Bruna O. Costa, Octavio L. Franco, Marlon H. Cardoso, Maria Ligia R. Macedo
Summary: The study introduced an antimicrobial peptide called RQ18, which exhibited antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as yeasts from the Candida genus, without being cytotoxic to mammalian cells. The research highlighted RQ18 as a membrane-active peptide with dual antibacterial and antifungal activities, emphasizing its therapeutic potential.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENERAL SUBJECTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paulina Piller, Heimo Wolinski, Robert A. Cordfunke, Jan Wouter Drijfhout, Sandro Keller, Karl Lohner, Nermina Malanovic
Summary: The development of antimicrobial agents against multidrug-resistant bacteria is crucial in the medical field. This study found that SAAP-148, an antimicrobial peptide, showed higher efficiency in killing bacteria and had stronger effects on membranes at both cellular and molecular levels compared to OP-145.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yan-Yan Xie, Xiao-Tong Qin, Jiaxing Zhang, Mei-Yan Sun, Feng-Ping Wang, Meimei Huang, Shi-Ru Jia, Wei Qi, Yuefei Wang, Cheng Zhong
Summary: Molecular chirality plays a significant role in the self-assembly of antimicrobial peptides, ultimately affecting their antimicrobial activity. Heterochiral peptides exhibit more stable helical nanofibers and superior antimicrobial activity against bacteria, opening up possibilities for fabricating efficient antimicrobial materials by controlling the chirality and structure of the materials.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Fengyi Cao, Gangqing Ma, Meng Song, Genxing Zhu, Lin Mei, Qi Qin
Summary: Antimicrobial peptides with hydrophobic and cationic residues can self-assemble into hydrogels, and the number of residues affects the self-assembly behavior and structure characteristics. A strong crosslinked structure may have negative effects on antimicrobial activity.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Andreas Hadjicharalambous, Nikolaos Bournakas, Hector Newman, Michael J. J. Skynner, Paul Beswick
Summary: This review examines the mechanisms of antimicrobial peptides in translocating across bacterial membranes and proposes strategies for combating antimicrobial resistance. By understanding the interactions between peptides and biological membranes, new peptide vectors may be developed for delivering antibiotics.
Article
Polymer Science
Thomas Babut, Mona Semsarilar, Marc Rolland, Damien Quemener
Summary: In this study, a waterborne approach was proposed to co-assemble peptide amphiphiles (PA) and polyelectrolytes into porous membranes with nanostructured networks. Various production methods were explored to shape the material and optimize the structure, leading to a membrane material in the ultrafiltration range with a pore radius of about 7.6 nm.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Andreea Gostaviceanu, Simona Gavrilas, Lucian Copolovici, Dana Maria Copolovici
Summary: Membrane-active peptides (MAPs) have unique properties that make them valuable tools for studying membrane structure and function and promising candidates for therapeutic applications. They can selectively interact with multiple membranes and disrupt lipid bilayers through different pathways. MAPs have shown antimicrobial activity, selective targeting of cancer cells, and drug delivery capabilities, making them a fascinating class of biomolecules with significant potential in basic research and clinical applications.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Tomasz Rog, Mykhailo Girych, Alex Bunker
Summary: This paper reviews the use of MD simulation as a drug design tool, with a focus on the role of lipid membrane in drug action. It highlights that the mechanisms through which drugs can be designed to tinker with physiological processes are significantly broader than merely fitting to a single active site of a single protein, and emphasizes the important role that lipid membranes play in mediating the interaction between drugs and target proteins.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Roja Hadianamrei, Mhd Anas Tomeh, Jiqian Wang, Stephen Brown, Xiubo Zhao
Summary: In this study, two new surfactant-like peptides (SLPs), named (IA)4K and (IG)4K, were developed for selective delivery of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) to cancer cells. The interaction of the peptides with nucleic acids, their transfection efficiency, and cytotoxicity were investigated. Both SLPs showed high transfection efficiency and selectivity for cancer cells, and exhibited low cytotoxicity. This study provides insights into the structural features required for nucleic acid complexation and delivery, and serves as a guide for the design of new SLPs for selective gene delivery to minimize adverse effects in healthy tissues.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Emmanuel I. Epelle, Andrew Macfarlane, Michael Cusack, Anthony Burns, Ngozi Amaeze, William Mackay, Mohammed Yaseen
Summary: This study focuses on the penetration efficiency of gaseous ozone into different garment types and examines the impacts of garment packing density, hanging orientation, and ozonation duration on disinfection efficiency. The study demonstrates the importance of achieving sufficient ozone concentrations in hard-to-reach regions and appropriate inter-garment spacing for effective decontamination. The results highlight the effectiveness of ozone as a necessary technology for textile disinfection in the context of public health and safety.
OZONE-SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Songwei Lv, Dong Zheng, Zhaoxian Chen, Bin Jia, Peng Zhang, Jiaxuan Yan, Xiubo Zhao, Wanlan Jiang, Jing-Juan Xu
Summary: This study designed a near-infrared light-responsive microfluidic chip for biocompatible single-cell manipulation and study of CTC heterogeneity. The chip combined immunomagnetic labeling and a gradient magnetic field to distribute CTCs in different regions. The lateral flow microarray chip achieved high capture efficiency and purity, and the captured single CTC cell can be released individually by near-infrared at a specific point.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Environmental
Emmanuel I. Epelle, Andrew Macfarlane, Michael Cusack, Anthony Burns, Jude A. Okolie, William Mackay, Mostafa Rateb, Mohammed Yaseen
Summary: This article reviews the recent advances in the application of ozone for disinfection purposes in various industries, with a focus on the key parameters that affect microbial reduction efficiency and ozone stability. The article points out that research on aqueous ozonation has received more attention compared to gaseous ozone application, particularly in the field of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical device disinfection.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Xinyu Xu, Yujie Ding, Roja Hadianamrei, Songwei Lv, Rongrong You, Fang Pan, Peng Zhang, Nan Wang, Xiubo Zhao
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential application of functionalized gold nanorods with antimicrobial peptides in photothermal therapy for bacterial infections. The conjugation of peptides increased selectivity, antimicrobial activity, and biocompatibility of the gold nanorods. The experiments conducted in vitro and in a mouse model of wound infection highlight the effective antimicrobial effects and wound healing properties of the peptide-functionalized gold nanorods with and without laser irradiation.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Fang Pan, Yueping Li, Yujie Ding, Songwei Lv, Rongrong You, Roja Hadianamrei, Mhd Anas Tomeh, Xiubo Zhao
Summary: This study systematically designed a series of new alpha-helical short peptides with different anticancer activities and demonstrated their interaction mechanism with cancer cells. The peptides exhibited high selectivity towards cancer cells due to their balanced amphiphilicity and cationic nature, while showing low toxicity to normal cells. Furthermore, the peptides not only damaged the mitochondria and induced apoptosis in cancer cells, but also activated the Caspase enzyme-linked reaction. The results suggest the potential of these peptides for clinical applications and provide guidance for the development of highly selective anticancer medications.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yi Jin, Mhd Anas Tomeh, Peng Zhang, Mingzhu Su, Xiubo Zhao, Zhiqiang Cai
Summary: This study utilized a newly developed microfluidic swirl mixer to fabricate temperature-sensitive liposomes (TSL) for the treatment of breast cancer through near-infrared stimulation. The results demonstrated that AP-3/ICG@TSL significantly inhibited the growth of breast cancer both in vitro and in vivo without causing damage to other organs. These findings suggest that the AP-3/ICG@TSL manufactured using the microfluidic swirl mixer is a promising drug delivery system for breast cancer therapy.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Emmanuel I. Epelle, Mohammed Yaseen, Andrew Macfarlane, Michael Cusack, Anthony Burns, Luc Rolland
Summary: The paper discusses the design and implementation considerations for a large-scale, automated, and continuous ozone treatment system, and provides a case study of an automated system for clothing and personal protective equipment disinfection. By considering factors such as transfer time and the agility of sliding doors in the continuous ozone treatment system, the system can effectively treat 20,000 garments within an 8-hour shift. The flexibility of the system allows for variation in concentration or exposure time to achieve the desired decontamination efficiency.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Nan Wang, Xiubo Zhao
Summary: This article systematically introduces the important role of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in studying contact electrification (CE) phenomena, especially in researching the CE mechanism at the nanoscale. In addition, the working mechanism of metal-semiconductor direct current triboelectric nanogenerators based on conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) studies is also introduced. The potential utility and limitations of AFM in future TENG technology development and its improvement direction are analyzed. This review provides an updated overview and understanding of the existing challenges and opportunities, and it is hoped to contribute to the advancement of TENG technologies.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Roja Hadianamrei, Mhd Anas Tomeh, Jiqian Wang, Stephen Brown, Xiubo Zhao
Summary: In this study, two new surfactant-like peptides (SLPs), named (IA)4K and (IG)4K, were developed for selective delivery of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) to cancer cells. The interaction of the peptides with nucleic acids, their transfection efficiency, and cytotoxicity were investigated. Both SLPs showed high transfection efficiency and selectivity for cancer cells, and exhibited low cytotoxicity. This study provides insights into the structural features required for nucleic acid complexation and delivery, and serves as a guide for the design of new SLPs for selective gene delivery to minimize adverse effects in healthy tissues.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Emmanuel I. Epelle, Andrew Macfarlane, Michael Cusack, Anthony Burns, Jude A. Okolie, Parag Vichare, Luc Rolland, Mohammed Yaseen
Summary: The control of infectious diseases can be improved through carefully designed decontamination equipment and systems. Ozone has gained significant research interest as a powerful antimicrobial agent in the past decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the development of new ozone-based technologies for decontamination purposes. It is important to consider key factors that affect the application of lab-based findings to large-scale ozone systems.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Yu Xia, Ruicheng Xu, Siyuan Ye, Jiaxuan Yan, Piyush Kumar, Peng Zhang, Xiubo Zhao
Summary: Current anticancer research suggests that combining multiple treatment methods can enhance the killing of tumor cells. In this study, we developed multi-responsive targeted antitumor nanoparticles (NPs) using microfluidic swirl mixer technology. The NPs were made of folate-functionalized gelatin NPs, CuS NPs, Fe3O4 NPs, and curcumin. The results showed that the combination of photothermal-ablation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted delivery of the NPs efficiently killed tumor cells.
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Piyush Kumar, Ana Jimenez Franco, Xiubo Zhao
Summary: 3D cell culture is a technique that mimics in vivo environment for cells to grow in vitro. This study proposes two independent 3D cell culture models for different applications. One uses porous spherical structures as carriers to retain cell shape, while the other uses 3D printed silk fibroin structures for directed cell growth. These models have advantages in cell research, such as drug discovery and treatment of neuropathies.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES B-BIOINTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jinguo Qiu, Mhd Anas Tomeh, Yi Jin, Bo Zhang, Xiubo Zhao
Summary: This study presented a high-performance microfluidic device to fabricate ACP loaded nanoparticles (NPs) with controllable properties. The encapsulated ACP showed reduced toxicity, controlled release, and increased cell uptake, leading to enhanced anticancer effects. The development of At3 loaded NPs provides a promising approach for ACP-based cancer therapy.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Omar Al-Dulaimi, Mostafa E. Rateb, Andrew S. Hursthouse, Gary Thomson, Mohammed Yaseen
Summary: Millions of tonnes of green waste are produced annually in the UK. Composting usually extends to more than two months and can produce greenhouse gases that can affect the environment if not optimized. We proposed using algal extract as a compost accelerator, which offers an economical and effective solution for better carbon sequestration, reducing cost and time associated with composting.
JOURNAL OF MATERIAL CYCLES AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Emmanuel I. Epelle, Neli Cojuhari, Abdalla Mohamedsalih, Andrew Macfarlane, Michael Cusack, Anthony Burns, Charles McGinness, Mohammed Yaseen
Summary: This study investigates the antimicrobial properties of ozone mist combined with surfactants and PEG. The results show that the hybrid mist-based application of 'ozone + surfactants' and 'ozone + PEG' significantly improves the antimicrobial effects compared to ozone mist alone. Among the surfactants, 'ozone + DTAB' mist shows the highest activity.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Lin-Lin Luo, Jie Xu, Bing-Qiao Wang, Chen Chen, Xi Chen, Qiu-Mei Hu, Yu-Qiu Wang, Wan-Yun Zhang, Wan-Xiang Jiang, Xin-Ting Li, Hu Zhou, Xiao Xiao, Kai Zhao, Sen Lin
Summary: A novel AAV serotype, AAVYC5, introduced in this study, showed more efficient transduction into multiple retinal layers compared to AAV2, and enabled successful delivery of anti-angiogenic molecules in mice and non-human primates.