Realizou-se a síntese de nanopartículas de Prata (AgNps) estabilizadas com Citrato de Sódio através de redução química utilizando Borohidreto de Sódio, com posterior avaliação da interação destas com o peptídeo antimicrobiano Dermaseptina 01. Para a caracterização da conjugação dos constituintes, foram empregadas técnicas dentre as quais espectroscopia no ultravioleta-visível (UV-Vis), espalhamento dinâmico de luz (DLS), medidas de potencial Zeta (ζ), espectroscopia no infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIRS), espectroscopia de dicroísmo circular (CD), calorimetria de titulação isotérmica (ITC) e espectroscopia de fluorescência. Alterações em intensidade e posição das bandas no espectro de extinção, aumento dos diâmetros hidrodinâmicos das nanopartículas e transição do sinal do potencial Zeta apresentado sugerem uma interação dependente da razão das concentrações das espécies empregadas. Medidas de FTIRS sugerem alterações em bandas relacionadas ao grupo tiol presente no resíduo de Cisteína do C-terminal da DS 01, sugerindo uma interação covalente desta com as nanopartículas. Observou-se por ITC, qualitativamente, uma interação exotérmica de ambas as espécies, enquanto medidas de CD demonstraram alterações características de estrutura secundária da DS 01 quando em contado com superfícies hidrofóbicas. A espectroscopia de fluorescência, empregadas aqui em Nps menores, sugere supressão da fluorescência do Triptofano da DS 01 por formação de complexo, em detrimento de processo colisional. Ensaios antimicrobianos contra cepas de E. coli DH5-α realizados em diluição seriada do complexo sugerem ser este menos efetivo do que as AgNps livres, supomos em virtude da menor quantidade de íons Ag+ liberados. Ensaios de citotoxicidade com fibroblastos de fígado saudável (FCH3) demonstraram indução de apoptose e estado de necrose para o complexo e seus constituintes. / The chemical synthesis of Citrate stabilized Silver nanoparticles (AgNps) using Sodium Borohydride as a reducing agent was performed, with further evaluation of its interaction with the antimicrobial peptide Dermaseptin 01. For such, techniques as UV-Vis spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Zeta Potential measurements (ζ), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIRS), Circular Dichroism spectroscopy (CD), Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and Fluorescence Spectroscopy were employed. Changes in intensity and position of the plasmon band, increase in hydrodynamic diameter and Zeta potential signal transitions were observed in a concentration ratio-dependent fashion. FTIRS measurements showed displacement in bands related to the thiol group of the C-terminal Cysteine residue of the peptide, which suggests a covalent interaction between the DS 01 and the AgNps. Exothermic interactions and secondary structure changes commonly observed for the DS 01 in contact with hydrophobic surfaces resulted from ITC and CD analysis, respectively. Quenching of the peptide\'s Tryptophan residue fluorescence, performed with AgNps of smaller size, indicates the formation of a static complex rather than a collision-driven process. AgNps showed to be more effective against E. coli (DH5-α strain) than the complex AgNp-DS 01, probably due to the slower Ag+ release provided by the stabilizing effect of covalent attachment of the peptide. Increase in apoptosis and necrosis were observed as an outcome of exposing healthy liver fibroblast (FCH3) to the complex and, separately, to its constituents.

Interações de peptídeos antimicrobianos com modelos de membranas biológicas têm sido extensivamente estudadas para entender as funções destes peptídeos e para elucidar seus mecanismos de ação. Muitos esforços têm sido realizados para aumentar a potência e a especificidade desses peptídeos com o propósito de serem mais seletivos aos organismos patogênicos do que às células dos hospedeiros, como também para um melhor entendimento desta classe de processo biológico. Os mecanismos geralmente propostos para a atividade antimicrobiana envolvem a permeabilização das membranas celulares pela formação de poros ou por outras mudanças nas membranas. Um ponto fundamental no entendimento da atividade é que a composição de lipídeos das membranas dos patógenos e dos hospedeiros é diferente, observação que é entendida como a chave principal da seletividade dos peptídeos antimicrobianos. O objetivo do presente trabalho é contribuir para o entendimento da ação de peptídeos antimicrobianos pelo estudo, por simulação molecular, do peptídeo antimicrobiano indolicidina e de alguns de seus mutantes. A indolicidina é um peptídeo constituído por 13 resíduos de aminoácidos que foi isolada dos neutrófilos de bovinos cuja função é ingerir e matar bactérias. Apesar de numerosos estudos experimentais, não se sabe ainda como a indolicidina atua. Este conhecimento é importante tanto no entendimento dos processos de defesa dos organismos multicelulares como no desenvolvimento de novos antibióticos. Estas questões foram abordadas através do estudo do comportamento da indolicidina e de alguns dos seus mutantes em solução aquosa e em interação com modelos de membranas celulares. / Interactions of the antimicrobial peptides with biological membrane models have been broadly studied to understand the function and the action mechanism of this class of peptides. Many efforts have been realized to increase the potency and the specificity of these peptides with the purpose of obtain more selective pathogen antimicrobials with decrease of the toxic effects and for a better explanation of the biological process concerned in the peptide action. The action mechanism approached to antimicrobial peptides concern the cellular membrane permeation by pore formation or other type of membrane disruption. A fundamental point in the knowledge of the activity is the distinct lipid composition of pathogen and host cells that is conceived as the principal key point in the selectivity of the antimicrobial peptides. The aim of the present work is to contribute for the knowledge of the action of the antimicrobial peptide indolicidin and some of its mutants by molecular dynamics simulation. The indolicidin is a short 13 amino acid residues antimicrobial peptide that was isolated from bovine neutrofils that have the function of ingest and kill pathogens. The action mechanism of the indolicidin is not yet known despite of numerous experimental studies realized with this peptide. The interaction of the indolicidin with the membrane models is important both for the knowledge of the defense machinery of the live organisms and for the development of new antimicrobials. These questions were approached by the study of the indolicidin and some of its mutants in solution and in interaction with cell membrane models.

Submitted by Rosangela Silva (rosangela.silva3@unioeste.br) on 2018-05-24T20:32:41Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Charles Seuchuco.pdf: 1461597 bytes, checksum: d1fe07c8c4b16541956c362cc1acb19c (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-24T20:32:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Charles Seuchuco.pdf: 1461597 bytes, checksum: d1fe07c8c4b16541956c362cc1acb19c (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-05 / Diatraea saccharalis, known as a sugarcane borer, is a moth of the Lepidoptera order, being one of the main pests on sugarcane, responsible for damage to the sugar and alcohol industries. The fat body is the organ responsible for several functions during the larval phase of insects, mainly in charge of synthesizing molecules with metabolic actions. The success in insects’ adaptation is due to its efficient defense system, in which the fat body is able to synthesize antimicrobial peptides (AMP’s) and secrete them in the hemolymph, where they act as a defense mechanism against pathogens. AMP’s has a cationic character and present the capacity to interact with negative charge molecules of the bacteria, leading to the disintegration of their membranes. Considering the concerns regarding bacterial resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobial properties of AMP’s, such as fast-acting, varied mechanisms of action and wide range against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; it has become appropriate to carry out studies to use AMP’s as alternative or complementary antibiotic. In D. saccharalis, AMP’s with antimicrobial action have been reported in recently published papers using proteomic methodology. Thereby, this study aimed to perform the differential analysis of the proteins and peptides of the fat body in the 5th instar of larvae challenged with Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Beauveria bassiana; using the two-dimensional electrophoresis technique (2-DE), with 12.5% SDS-PAGE tricine gels, MALDI-TOF type mass spectrometry and the research in protein databases (Mascot and TagIdent). After analysis, six defense proteins of the innate immune system were found using the TagIdent identification tool: apolipophorin-3, attacin, attacin-F, Peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRPs), putative defense protein 1 and putative defense protein 3. The AMP attacin presented a positive regulation in relation to the control gel indicating that the B. bassiana septic challenge stimulated the immune system of D. saccharalis. This study provides the first reports of proteins of the immune system produced by the adipose tissue of D. saccharalis. / A Diatraea saccharalis, conhecida como broca-da-cana, é uma mariposa da ordem Lepidoptera, tratando-se de uma das principais pragas da cana-de-açúcar, responsável por prejuízos à indústria de açúcar e de álcool. O corpo gorduroso é o órgão responsável por várias funções durante a fase larval dos insetos, principalmente encarregado de sintetizar moléculas com ações metabólicas. O sucesso na adaptação dos insetos se deve ao seu eficiente sistema de defesa, no qual o tecido gorduroso é capaz de sintetizar peptídeos antimicrobianos (PAM’s) e secretá-los na hemolinfa, onde atuam como mecanismo de defesa contra patógenos. Os PAM’s têm caráter catiônico e apresentam capacidade de interagir com as moléculas de carga negativas das bactérias, levando a desintegração de suas membranas. Considerando as preocupações em relação à resistência bacteriana a antibióticos e às propriedades antimicrobianas dos PAM’s como ação rápida, mecanismos de ação variados e amplo espectro contra bactérias Gram-positivas e Gram-negativas, têm se tornado atrativo para a realização de estudos para utilização de PAM’s como antibiótico alternativo ou complementar. Em D. saccharalis já foram relatados PAM’s com ação antimicrobiana em artigos recentemente publicados empregando metodologia proteômica. Desta forma, este trabalho teve como objetivo realizar a análise diferencial das proteínas e peptídeos do corpo gorduroso no 5° instar de larvas controles e desafiadas com Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis e Beauveria bassiana, utilizando eletroforese bidimensional (2-DE) com géis tricina SDS-PAGE 12,5%, espectrometria de massas do tipo MALDI-ToF e a pesquisa em bancos de dados de proteínas (Mascot e TagIdent). Após análise, foram encontradas seis proteínas de defesa do sistema imune inato utilizando a ferramenta de identificação TagIdent, sendo elas Apolipophorin-3, Atacina, Atacina-F, Proteína de reconhecimento de peptidoglicano (PGRPs), Provável proteína de defesa 1 e Provável proteína de defesa 3. O PAM Atacina apresentou regulação positiva em relação ao gel controle, indicando que o desafio séptico por B. bassiana estimulou o sistema imune da D. saccharalis. Este trabalho fornece os primeiros relatos de proteínas do sistema imune produzidas pelo corpo gorduroso de D. saccharalis.

A saliva é uma mistura de água, eletrólitos, proteínas e enzimas. A secreção diária normal é de 800-1500ml em adultos. A chamada saliva total, o fluído que realmente está presente na cavidade bucal, é produzida por diferentes glândulas salivares e contém ainda fluído crevicular e elementos transudados do plasma, e derivados da rede capilar da mucosa bucal. É importante entender o papel da saliva na proteção dos tecidos bucais, principalmente porque a co-infecção pode ser um fator importante na ativação e supressão do sistema imune, com papel importante no desenvolvimento e severidade das doenças bucais. Além disso, a cavidade bucal tem um vasto número de microrganismos e antígenos presentes, o que faz com que seja considerada em permanente estado de inflamação, em muitos casos, subclínica. Nosso estudo se propõe a observar a variação da composição salivar frente a presença de alterações locais - gengivites e periodontites. O estudo compara as citocinas salivares TNF-α, IL-1β e IL-6, e os fatores de defesa, beta defensinas 1 e 2, catelicidina e mucina 2, em três diferentes grupos de pacientes: Grupo 1 (controle) - 40 Pacientes, total ou parcialmente dentados, sem inflamação/infecção bucal; Grupo 2 - 40 Pacientes total ou parcialmente dentados, com sinais clínicos de gengivite; e Grupo 3 - 40 Pacientes total ou parcialmente dentados, com sinais clínicos de periodontite. A presença das citocinas e fatores salivares foram avaliadas por testes ELISA. Foram significativas as alterações encontradas entre os grupos para os diferentes fatores: TNF-α, e IL-6, beta defensinas 1 e 2, catelicidina e mucina 2. Apenas IL-1β não teve resultados significantes. Assim, indica-se que os componentes salivares possuem importante papel salivar frente à alterações locais. / Saliva is a mixture of water, electrolytes, proteins and enzymes. The daily secretion ranges between 800-1500mL in adults. The called whole saliva is composed by the production of different salivary glands, gingival crevicular fluid, and contain elements transudate from plasma derived from the capillary bed beneath the oral mucosa. It is important to consider the evident and important role of saliva in defense and protection of oral tissues. The effects of co-infecting pathogens have been postulated as an important factor in the activation and/or suppression of immune system, important in many situations, including the severity and rate of disease progression. The oral cavity is continually confronted with a vast number of pathogens and antigens, so, in some way, may be considered an inflammatory environment, although the level of inflammation may be sub-clinical. This study proposed to observe how the presence of local inflammation - gingivitis or periodontitis, may influence the presence of salivary cytokines or defense factors in saliva. The study compared saliva molecular components in three different groups of patients: Group 1 (as control group) - 40 Patients, total or partially dentate, without oral infectious; Group 2 - 40 Patients total or partially dentate, with clinical signs of gingivitis; Group 3 - 40 patients, total or partially dentate, with clinical signs of periodontitis. It checked the presence of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 cytokines, and defense factors, 1 and 2 beta defensins, cathelicidin and mucin 2. ELISA kits determined the levels of these proteins. Found alterations were significant between groups to TNF-α, IL-6, 1 and 2 beta defensins, cathelicidin and mucin 2. Only IL-1β had not significant results. Therefore, it indicated that salivary components have important hole related to local situations.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-05-02T18:29:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 leticiastephantavares.pdf: 3190443 bytes, checksum: 26aa58db0ef5c5e3bfe0caaaf2d8671e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-06-03T15:35:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 leticiastephantavares.pdf: 3190443 bytes, checksum: 26aa58db0ef5c5e3bfe0caaaf2d8671e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-03T15:35:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 leticiastephantavares.pdf: 3190443 bytes, checksum: 26aa58db0ef5c5e3bfe0caaaf2d8671e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-29 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O uso incorreto de antibióticos vem se tornando, nos últimos anos, um grande problema de acordo Organização Mundial da Saúde, uma vez que tem aumentado o número de microrganismos resistentes aos medicamentos mais frequentemente utilizados. Em contrapartida a este problema de saúde pública, novos antibióticos com diferentes vias de ação têm sido pesquisados. Muitos destes antimicrobianos têm sido descobertos a partir da primeira linha de defesa de vegetais e de animais. Estas moléculas são denominadas Peptídeos Antimicrobianos (AMPs). No intuito de encontrar novos compostos com atividade antimicrobiana foram desenvolvidos 3 peptídeos com ação bactericida a partir do transcriptoma de Lippia rotundifolia e L. alba. O RNA normalizado foi sequenciado utilizando-se a plataforma 454 GS e a partir do mesmo foram gerados e modelados in silico peptídeos com estrutura e ação semelhantes a AMPs. Em seguida os peptídeos foram sintetizados e sua atividade validada por testes antimicrobianos. Os peptídeos Lalb1 e Lrot3 apresentaram resultados promissores e foram remodelados a partir de um desenho racional visando obter a melhor estrutura e atividade dos mesmos. Os peptídeos L.rot3.5 e L.rot3.6 apresentaram os resultados mais promissores contra os patógenos testados. Os resultados aqui demonstrados sugerem que o uso de transcriptomas é uma importante ferramenta para a descoberta de novos AMPs com ação contra bactérias Gram-positivas e Gram-negativas. / Misuse of antibiotics has become, in recent years, worldwide problem according to the World Health Organization, since the number of resistant microorganisms for most commonly used drugs has increased. In contrast to this public health problem, new antibiotics with different courses of action have been researched. Many of these antibiotics have been discovered from the first line of plant and animal defense. This is a group of molecules called Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs). In the present work three antimicrobial peptides showing bactericidal activity were developed from the transcriptome of Lippia rotundifolia and L. alba. The normalized RNA was sequenced in 454 GS platform and the RNA library was used for in silico searching and modeling peptides showing similar structure and action to AMP. The peptides were synthesized and their activity was validated by antimicrobial tests. The L.alb1 and L.rot3 peptides showed promising results and were modelled again by the use of rational design methodology to inbreed structure and activity. The L.rot3.5 and L.rot3.6 peptides showed the most promising results against the tested pathogens. The results reported here demonstrated that the discovery of new AMPs from transcriptome against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria is an important tool for this purpose.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-06-29T12:36:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 sarasalomaosalles.pdf: 1082471 bytes, checksum: d6da8553ca94e46e9009c917347d9549 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Diamantino Mayra (mayra.diamantino@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-05T14:46:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 sarasalomaosalles.pdf: 1082471 bytes, checksum: d6da8553ca94e46e9009c917347d9549 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-05T14:46:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 sarasalomaosalles.pdf: 1082471 bytes, checksum: d6da8553ca94e46e9009c917347d9549 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-03 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A melhoria da qualidade da alimentação pode desempenhar efeitos fisiológicos benéficos e reduzir o risco a certas doenças. O leite contribui para a ingestão recomendada de nutrientes e promove a saúde através de seus componentes biologicamente ativos que a ele agregam inúmeras funcionalidades além da nutrição. A busca por novos antibióticos de amplo espectro de ação tem aumentado nas últimas décadas devido ao número crescente de bactérias resistentes aos antibióticos convencionais. Neste sentido, as proteínas do leite bovino, após fragmentação, podem ser promissoras fontes de peptídeos antimicrobianos (PAMs), que ficam inativos quando internalizados em uma sequência protéica maior e podem ser liberados a partir de enzimas digestivas durante o trânsito gastrointestinal. Neste trabalho, sequências protéicas provenientes do leite foram obtidas em banco de dados e sumariamente clivadas in silico por enzimas gastrointestinais (pepsina, tripsina e quimotripsina). Esta clivagem virtual disponibilizou inúmeros peptídeos que foram analisados e selecionados com relação a inúmeras características inerentes à AMPs, tais como tamanho, carga, composição, hidrofobicidade, momento hidrofóbico e estruturação. Cinco peptídeos (lactof01, lactof02, A_lacto01, serumA01 e serumA02) foram selecionados e tiveram sua estrutura tridimensional construída teoricamente por meio de modelagem molecular por homologia sendo estas validadas através de servidores web. Estes peptídeos foram sintetizados manualmente e testados in vitro contra microrganismos Gram-positivos (Staphylococcus aureus) e Gram-negativos (Escherichia coli e Klebsiella pneumoniae). Os peptídeos exibiram baixa atividade antimicrobiana. Entretanto foi verificado que lactof02 foi o mais ativo contra Gram-negativas e A_lact01 foi o mais ativo contra Gram-positivas. Os ensaios hemolíticos indicaram que os peptídeos apresentaram atividade hemolítica variável. Através da análise dos testes in vitro foi possível verificar que a hidrofobicidade global e intrínseca dos peptídeos pode ter sido determinante na modulação da atividade antimicrobiana e hemolítica. / The nutrition quality improvement may play beneficial physiological effects and also reduce the risk of certain diseases. Milk contributes to the recommended nutrients intake and could promote health through its biologically active components, adding many features to nutrition. Otherwise, the search for a new broad-spectrum antibiotic action has increased in last decades due to to the increased number of bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics. In this view, bovine milk proteins are promising antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) sources, which are inactive when are located inside of a large protein sequence and could be released by digestive enzymes during gastrointestinal transit. Here, those peptide sequences were obtained from free databases and summarily cleaved by gastrointestinal enzymes (pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin). This virtual cleavage provided a wide number of peptides that were analyzed and selected according to the inherent AMPs properties, such as size, charge, composition, hydrophobicity, hydrophobic moment and structuring. Five peptides (lactof01, lactof02, A_lacto01, serumA01 e serumA02) were selected, being their three-dimensional struture construted by homology modeling and validated through web servers. These peptides were synthesized and in vitro tested against Gram-positives (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negatives (Escherichia coli e Klebsiella pneumoniae) microorganims. The peptides exhibited low antimicrobial activity. Nevertheless it was found that lactof02 was the most active against Gramnegatives and A_lact01 was the most active against Gram-positives. The hemolytic assays indicated that the peptides showed variable hemolytic activity. Through in vitro analisys of tests it was possible to verify that global and intrinsic peptides hydrophobicity seems to be crucial for modulation of antimicrobial and hemolytic activities.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-10-09T20:37:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 tamiryssilvabarino.pdf: 1193174 bytes, checksum: 4ad4ca2cfdc016bc7f65fda94a5fb98d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-10-10T12:20:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 tamiryssilvabarino.pdf: 1193174 bytes, checksum: 4ad4ca2cfdc016bc7f65fda94a5fb98d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-10T12:20:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tamiryssilvabarino.pdf: 1193174 bytes, checksum: 4ad4ca2cfdc016bc7f65fda94a5fb98d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-13 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Microrganismos patogênicos são responsáveis pelo desenvolvimento de diversas infecções, e em ambientes hospitalares, levam muitos pacientes ao óbito. Modificar esse quadro é necessário, todavia as bactérias apresentam distintos mecanismos de resistência após mutações em seu DNA. Além disso, o uso indiscriminado de antibióticos gera continuamente a seleção natural e propagação de cepas mais resistentes fazendo com que os antibióticos percam sua eficácia com o passar dos anos. Diante desse panorama, a elaboração de um nanocarreador contendo peptídeos antimicrobianos (PAMs ou AMPs do inglês Antimicrobial Peptides) tornase uma interessante alternativa contra bactérias patogênicas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi sintetizar nanoesferas de alginato de sódio pelo método de Gelificação Ionotrópica para a entrega de AMPs Lrot3 às células bacterianas de Escherichia Coli 25922 e Staphylococcus epidermidis 12228. A atividade antimicrobiana dos peptídeos livres e nanoestruturados (128, 64, 32, 16, 8 e 4µg/mL), foi avaliada por meio da concentração mínima inibitória (MIC), e o potencial citotóxico investigado em células HEK 293 humanas utilizando o ensaio de MTT (Tetrazólio de azul de tiazolilo). Os dados foram avaliados por ANOVA e as médias comparada pelo teste de Tukey. Para a bactéria E. coli 25922, o peptídeo livre na concentração de 64 µg/mL destacou-se por ser a única concentração com atividade antimicrobiana significativa (P˂0,01), apresentando ação similar ao do cloranfenicol (128 µg/mL e 64 µg/mL). As nanopartículas contendo AMPs, por sua vez, mostraram-se eficazes em todas as concentrações (P˂0,01). Diferentemente se deu no S. epidermidis 12228, onde observou-se maior resistência da bactéria a todos tratamentos. Os resultados do MTT sugerem que as nanopartículas de alginato não apresentam citotoxicidade in vitro, motivando a continuidade deste estudo. Concluindo, os AMPs nanoestruturados tem potencial para serem utilizados no combate a infecções ocasionadas por E. coli. / Pathogenic microorganisms are responsible for the development of various infections, particularly in hospital environment, leading to death in many patients. It is therefore necessary to change this scenario, it is difficult, however, because the bacteria have very distinct resistance mechanisms after mutations in their DNA. Furthermore, the indiscriminate use of antibiotics continuously generates the selection and propagation of more resistant strains, causing loss of effectiveness of antibiotics over the years. In this case, the development of a nanocarrier containing Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) becomes an interesting alternative against pathogenic bacteria. This paper aims to synthesize the delivery of AMPs to bacterial cells of Escherichia coli 25922 and Staphylococcus epidermidis 12228 through the use of nanospheres of sodium alginate by ionotropic gelation method. Alginate stands out for being a polyanionic, biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, which show interaction with Lrot3 cationic AMP. The antimicrobial activity of free and nanostructured peptides (128, 64, 32, 16, 8 e 4 µg/mL) was evaluated by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the cytotoxic potential investigated in human HEK 293 cells using the MTT Assay (Tetrazolium thiazolyl blue). The data were evaluated by ANOVA and the means compared by Tukey test. For Gramnegative E. coli 25922 bacteria, the free peptide at concentration of 64 µg/mL stood out for being the only concentration with significant antimicrobial activity (P˂0,01), showing similar action to the chloramphenicol, at concentrations of 128 µg/mL and 64 µg/mL, respectively. NPs, in turn, showed inhibitory activity at all concentrations (P˂0,01). Unlike occurred in S. epidermidis 12228, which was observed more bacterial resistance to all treatments. The MTT data suggest that alginate nanoparticles do not exhibit in vitro cytotoxicity, encouraging the continuation of this study. In conclusion, the nanostructured AMPs has the potential to be used to fight infections caused by E. coli.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / AIDS is considered a pandemic causing millions of deaths worldwide and a cure for this disease is still not available. Failure to implement early treatments due to the poor diagnostic methods and ineffective therapeutic regimens to treat HIV patients to achieve complete viral eradication from the human body has encouraged the escalation of this disease at an exponential rate. Though the current treatment regimens (High Active Antiretroviral Therapy) have aided in increasing the lifespan of HIV patients, it still suffers from some shortcomings such as adverse side effects and non-eradication of the virus. Thus, there is a need for a non-toxic therapeutic regimen to stop further infection of HIV-infected patients. Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) are naturally occurring peptides which are components of the first line of defence of many organisms against infections and have been proven to be promising therapeutic agents against HIV. The use of AMPs as anti-microbial agents is due to the fact that most AMPs have a net positive charge and are mostly hydrophobic molecules. These features allow AMPs to be site directed electro-statistically to the mostly negatively charged pathogens. In a previous study, a number of novel anti-HIV AMPs was identified using a predictive algorithm Profile Hidden Markov Models (HMMER). The AMP's threedimensional structures were predicted using an in-silico modelling tool I-TASSER and an insilico protein-peptide interaction study of the AMPs to HIV protein gp120 was performed using PatchDock. Five AMPs were identified to bind gp120, at the site where gp120 interacts with CD4 to prevent HIV invasion and HIV replication. Therefore, the aims of this research were to perform in-silico site-directed mutation on the parental anti-HIV AMPs to increase their binding affinity to the gp120 protein, validate the anti-HIV activity of these peptides and confirm the exclusivity of this activity by testing possible anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activities of the AMPs. Firstly, the five parental anti-HIV AMPs were used to generate mutated AMPs through insilico site-directed mutagenesis. The AMPs 3-D structures were determined using I-TASSER and the modelled AMPs were docked against the HIV protein gp120 using PatchDock. Secondly, an "in house" Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tool developed by our industrial partner, Medical Diagnostech (Pty) Ltd, was utilised to confirm the in-silico docking results. Furthermore, the ability of these AMPs to inhibit HIV-1 replication was demonstrated and additional biological activities of the peptides were shown on bacteria and cancer cell lines. In an effort to identify AMPs with increased binding affinity, the in-silico results showed that two mutated AMPs Molecule 1.1 and Molecule 8.1 bind gp120 with high affinity, at the point where gp120 bind with CD4. The molecular binding however showed that only Molecule 3 and Molecule 7 could prevent the interaction of gp120 protein and CD4 surface protein of human cells, in a competitive binding assay. Additionally, the testing of the anti-HIV activity of the AMPs showed that Molecule 7, Molecule 8 and Molecule 8.1 could inhibit HIV-1 NL4-3 with maximal effective concentration (EC₅₀) values of 37.5 μg/ml and 93.75 μg/ml respectively. The EC₅₀ of Molecule 8.1 was determined to be around 12.5 μg/ml. This result looks promising since 150 μg/ml of the AMPs could not achieve 80% toxicity of the human T cells, thus high Therapeutics Index (TI) might be obtained if 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀) is established. Further biological activity demonstrates that Molecule 3 and Molecule 7 inhibited P. aeruginosa completely after 24 hours treatment with peptide concentrations ranging from 0.5 mg/ml to 0.03125 mg/ml. Nevertheless, moderate inhibition was observed when CHO, HeLa, MCF-7 and HT-29 were treated with these peptides at peptides concentration of 100 μg/ml. The ability of these AMPs to block the entrance of HIV via the binding to CD4 of the host cells is a good concept since they pave the way for the design of anti-HIV peptide-based drugs Entry Inhibitors (FIs) or can be exploited in the production microbicide gels/films to suppress the propagation of the virus. / DST-NIC/Mintek

Abstract Innate immunity provides the first line of defense against invading, pathogenic microorganisms in all multicellular organisms. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has turned out to be an excellent model organism to elucidate mechanisms of innate immune responses because of the highly conserved intracellular signaling cascades mediating these ancient immune functions in flies and mammals. In the present study, RNA interference (RNAi) -based functional genomics were utilized to identify novel components of Drosophila’s immune reactions. Mediators of bacterial phagocytosis, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling and the antiviral RNAi pathway were screened in hemocyte-like S2 cells. Follow-up studies were executed in mammalian cells as well as in Drosophila larvae and adult flies to gain broader significance for the results. Seven novel components essential for efficient phagocytosis of bacteria were identified. Eater was defined as Drosophila’s most important phagocytic receptor showing novel epidermal growth factor (EGF)-repeat -based microbial recognition properties. Additionally, Abelson interacting protein (Abi), capping protein alpha (cpa), 14-3-3ζ, tousled-like kinase (tlk), CG2765 and CG15609 were determined as intracellular effectors of phagocytosis, the three former ones executing their evolutionarily conserved functions through remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Eater, together with Scavenger receptor class C, type I (Sr-CI), was demonstrated to be responsible for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) uptake into S2 cells and, when ectopically expressed, into mammalian cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Proteasome component Pros45 and RNA helicase Belle were established as mediators of the intracellular RNAi pathway, whereas essential roles in antimicrobial signaling via the immune deficiency (Imd) pathway were addressed for Inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (Iap2) and Tak1-associated binding protein (TAB). Iap2 and TAB were shown to affect nuclear translocation of NF-κB -like transcription factor Relish. The present study identifies several novel mediators of the Drosophila immune response and provides insight into mechanisms of fly host defense. As insects serve as vectors of human diseases (e.g. malaria), knowledge about Drosophila immune mechanisms may help to better understand the transmission and pathogenesis of these diseases and develop treatments to fight these infections. Additionally, knowledge gained from model organisms serves as valuable background information, often conducting human research into new tracks. / Tiivistelmä Synnynnäinen immuniteetti on elintärkeä puolustusjärjestelmä taudinaiheuttajia vastaan. Kodeissakin yleinen banaanikärpänen, Drosophila melanogaster, on osoittautunut erinomaiseksi synnynnäisen immuniteetin tutkimusmalliksi, erityisesti teknisesti yksinkertaisen ja eettisesti ongelmattoman geneettisen muunneltavuutensa ansiosta. On myös havaittu, että solunsisäiset, immunologisia signaaleja välittävät mekanismit ovat evoluutiossa hyvin säilyneitä. Hyvin usein samankaltaiset geenituotteet toimivat signaalinsiirtäjinä sekä kärpäsen että ihmisen soluissa. Tämän työn tarkoituksena oli RNA-häirintää (RNAi) sekä muita nykyaikaisia solu- ja molekyylibiologisia tutkimusmenetelmiä hyödyntäen tunnistaa uusia kärpäsen synnynnäiselle immuunipuolustukselle välttämättömiä geenituotteita. Bakteerien fagosytoosille, viruspuolustukselle ja tumatekijä nuclear factor kappa B:n (NF-κB) välittämälle signaloinnille välttämättömiä signalointimolekyylejä pyrittiin identifioimaan laajan mittakaavan RNA-häirintään perustuvilla seuloilla kärpäsen soluissa. Saatujen tulosten merkitystä nisäkkäiden immuunipuolustukselle tutkittiin myös hiiren soluissa. Seitsemän geenituotteen osoitettiin olevan bakteerien fagosytoosille tärkeitä kärpäsen soluissa. Aiemmin tuntematon geenituote, joka nimettiin Eateriksi, osoitettiin kärpäsen tärkeimmäksi bakteereja fagosytoivaksi reseptoriksi. Eaterin solun ulkoisen osan osoitettiin tunnistavan taudinaiheuttajia uudella epidermaalisen kasvutekijän (epidermal growth factor, EGF) kaltaisella toistosekvenssillä. Myös useiden solun tukirankaan, sytoskeletoniin, liittyvien proteiinien (Abi, cpa, 14-3-3ζ) sekä aiemmin vähemmän tunnettujen geenituotteiden (CG2765, CG15609, tlk) osoitettiin osallistuvan bakteerien fagosytoosiin. Näistä kolmen ensinmainitun immunologinen tehtävä havaittiin evoluutiossa säilyneeksi, kärpäsestä hiireen. Eaterin, yhdessä kärpäsen toisen scavenger reseptorin (Sr-CI) kanssa, havaittiin myös toimivan kaksijuosteisen RNA:n (dsRNA) reseptoreina kärpäsen soluissa, mahdollistaen helpon ja tehokkaan RNA-häirinnän. RNA-häirinnän, ja siten mahdollisesti myös viruspuolustuksen, välittäjiksi identifioitiin proteasomin alayksikkö Pros45 ja RNA-helikaasi Belle. Lisäksi Inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (Iap2) ja Tak1-associated binding protein (TAB) todettiin kärpäsen immune deficiency (Imd) signalointireitin komponenteiksi, jotka osallistuvat antimikrobisten peptidien tuotantoon välittämällä NF-κB:n kaltaisen kärpäsen transkriptiotekijän (Relish) siirtymisen tumaan aktivoimaan immuunipuolustusta välittävien geenien ilmentymistä. Tämän tutkimuksen tulokset valottavat banaanikärpäsen immuunipuolustuksen mekanismeja. Koska hyönteiset toimivat monien ihmisten infektiotautien välittäjinä, kärpäsen immuniteetin tuntemus luo mahdollisuuksia kehittää hoitoja näitä tauteja vastaan. Lisäksi malliorganismeista saatu tieto luo uusia teorioita ja näkökulmia, johtaen usein myös lääketieteellistä tutkimusta uusille raiteille.

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