O presente projeto propõe a avaliação de respostas imunológicas induzidas por uma vacina de DNA bivalente para o controle de infecções por HIV e HSV. A vacina genética codifica a proteína gD do vírus HSV-1 geneticamente fusionada à proteína Gag (p24) do HIV, rica em epítopos reconhecidos por células T CD8+. A vacina de DNA pRE4p24 codifica a proteína p24 inserida em região próxima à porção C-terminal da proteína gD-1, permitindo que a proteína recombinante seja expressa na superfície da célula transfectada. A localização da proteína recombinante foi confirmada na superfície das células HEK-293T transfectadas por ensaios de imunofluorescência. Camundongos imunizados com a vacina foram capazes de gerar respostas de anticorpos específicos após três doses administradas pelas vias intramuscular (i.m.), intradérmica com seringa (i.d.) ou intradérmico por biobalística (gg). Foram analisadas as respostas imunológicas mediadas por linfócitos T CD8+ p24-específicas e, em função dos resultados obtidos, sendo a via i.m. escolhida como a mais promissora para os ensaios subsequentes. Na tentativa de aumentar a imunogenicidade da vacina, particularmente, para respostas celulares, foi avaliado o efeito da co-administração da formulação vacinal com outros plasmídeos que expressam citocinas (pIL-2, pIL-12 ou pGM-CSF), o teste de um vetor vacinal baseado no plasmídeo multicópia pVAX (pgDp24) e o emprego de um gene sintético para promover o aumento da expressão da proteína gD em células de mamíferos (pgDhp24). Por fim, desenvolvemos um modelo murino para a avaliação funcional de respostas citotóxicas antígeno-específicas a partir de uma linhagem tumoral capaz de expressar a proteína p24 do HIV. Camundongos Balb/c imunizados com o pgDp24 apresentaram um retardo no crescimento tumoral em relação aos animais não imunizados além de proteção parcial a desafios letais com HSV-1. / The present thesis aims to evaluate the immunological responses induced by a bivalent DNA vaccine to the control HIV and HSV infectious. This genetic vaccine codes the gD protein from the HSV-1 virus envelope genetically fused with HIV Gag (p24) protein, which has various epitopes recognized by human and murine T CD8+ cells. The DNA vaccine, named pRE4p24, codes for p24 protein, inserted close to the C-terminal region of gD-1 protein, leading to the expression of the recombinant protein on the surface of the transfected cells. The location of the recombinant protein was confirmed with transfected HEK-293 cellsby immunofluorescence assays. Mice immunized with the vaccine generated antigen-specific antibody responses after three doses administered intramuscularly (i.m), intradermally with a syringe (i.d) or intradermally by gene gun (bioballistic) (gg). The immunological responses mediated by specific-T CD8+ p24 lymphocytes were evaluated and, according to the data obtained, the i.m administration was chosen for the next assays. Aiming the improvement of the vaccine immunogenicity, particularly for cellular responses, the effect of co-administration with other plasmids was assessed with: plasmids that express cytokines (pIL-2, pIL-12 or pGM-CSF); a vaccine vector based on pVAX (pgDp24); and a vector encoding a synthetic gene capable to increase the expression of gD protein in mammalian cells (pgDhp24). Finally, we developed a murine model for the functional evaluation of antigen-specific cytotoxic responses using a tumor cell line which expresses the p24 protein. Balb/c mice, immunized with pgDp24 had a reduced tumor growth when compared to non-immunized mice. In addition, vaccinated mice showed partial protection to a lethal challenge with HSV-1.

Não consta resumo na publicação. / The α-amylase inhibitor from Phaseolus vulgaris is a glucoprotein with a Molecular Weight of 53,000 daltons and an isoelectric point of 4.35. It can be dissociated by SDS or guanidin in three subunities having molecular weight of 17,500, 16,000 and 13,500. The molecule has 400 amino acid residues and no disulfide brigde. The C and N terminal amino acid are respectively: leucine and tyrosine and threonine, alanine, and glutamic acid. It is resistent to proteolysis in the native state.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第22636号 / 医博第4619号 / 新制||医||1044(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 高橋 淳, 教授 古川 壽亮, 教授 村井 俊哉 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Orientador: Priscylla Tatiana Chalfun Guimarães Okamoto / Resumo: A doença do trato urinário inferior em felinos (DTUIF) apresenta diversos fatores etiológicos, sendo a forma obstrutiva a mais grave. As proteínas de fase aguda (PFAs) são biomarcadores utilizados para avaliar processos inflamatórios sistêmicos. A Alfa-1 Glicoproteína Ácida e o Amilóide A Sérico são PFAs positivas e major, o fibrinogênio é PFA minor e a albumina é negativa em gatos. O objetivo deste estudo é determinar as concentrações séricas das proteínas de fase aguda, Amilóide A sérico, Alfa-1 Glicoproteína Ácida, fibrinogênio e albumina e utilizá-las como biomarcadores de inflamação no monitoramento do processo inflamatório de gatos com doença do trato urinário inferior obstrutiva. Foram avaliados 25 gatos, machos, sem predileção de raça e idade, divididos em dois grupos experimentais, GC - grupo controle com oito gatos hígidos e GO - grupo obstruído com 17 gatos diagnosticados com DTUIF obstrutiva. Foram coletadas amostras para determinação das PFAs, bioquímica sérica, urinálise e UP/C nos M0, M12, M24 e M48 no GO e no GC somente no primeiro momento. As determinações das PFAs foram realizadas com os kits de ELISA para SAA, Kit Cat Serum Amyloid A Elisa (LIFE-SAA-8) e AGP, Kit Cat Alpha-1-Acid Glycoprotein Elisa (LIFE-AGP-8), ambos marca: Life Diagnostics®. No M0 houve correlações positivas de SAA, AGP e fibrinogênio com ureia e creatinina e correlação negativa de albumina com hematúria, SAA e potássio. No M48, houve correlações positivas entre SAA e AGP, AGP e ureia, fi... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) presents several etiologic factors, with the obstructive form representing the most severe. The acute phase proteins (APPs) are biomarkers used to evaluate systemic inflammatory processes. In cats, Alpha-1-Acid Glycoprotein and Serum Amyloid A are major positive APPs, fibrinogen is a minor APP and albumin is a negative APP. This study aims at determining the serum concentrations of acute phase proteins Serum Amyloid A, Alpha-1-Acid Glycoprotein, fibrinogen and albumin, in addition of using them as biomarkers of inflammation during the monitoring of the inflammatory processes of cats with obstructive feline lower urinary tract disease. A total of 25 male cats were recruited for the study irrespective of breed and age, and were divided into two experimental groups: the control group (CG), comprised of eight healthy cats; and the obstruction group (OG), comprised of 17 cats diagnosed with obstructive FLUTD. Samples were collected for APP analysis, serum biochemical assay, urinalysis and UP/C determination at M0, M12, M24 and M48 in the OG, and at M0 in the CG. The concentrations of the APPs were determined using commercially-available ELISA kits for SAA (Kit Cat Serum Amyloid A Elisa, LIFE-SAA-8) and AGP (Kit Cat Alpha-1-Acid Glycoprotein Elisa, LIFE-AGP-8) (Life Diagnostics®). At M0, there were positive correlations of SAA, AGP and fibrinogen with urea and creatinine, as well as negative correlations between albumin and hematuria, ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

<p>Multidrug resistance is a major issue in treatment and eradication of diseases. There are many mechanisms by which pathogens develop multi drug resistance. Here we focus on the ability of pathogens to evade drug treatment by establishing multi drug resistant reservoirs. In the case of HIV, the virus is able to evade drug treatment and forms both latent and active replicating reservoirs throughout the body. In the case of many bacterial pathogens, multidrug resistance reservoirs are established within mammalian cells, such as macrophages. Many classes of antibiotics are unable to penetrate mammalian cells, making intracellular bacteria difficult to clear</p><p>Previously our research group has developed a Trojan horse strategy to deliver antivirals to HIV cellular reservoirs. Ester based prodrug dimers of abacavir, a reverse transcriptase inhibitor, acted to both inhibit efflux transporters at the BBB and revert to the monomeric therapy in the reducing environments of the cell. Herein we present a new group of sterically hindered carbonate based disulfide linkers that shows improved payload delivery of abacavir and maintain the stability of prodrug molecules towards hydrolysis. We employed these linker molecules to synthesize prodrug dimers of the HIV latency reversal agent prostratin with the hope of targeting latent HIV reservoirs. Payload release studies as well as latency reversal experiments with a latently infected T-helper cell model confirmed that the prostratin carbonate homodimers (<b>ProS₂Me₂</b> and <b>ProS₂Me₄</b>) were able to revert to monomeric prostratin and reverse HIV latency. We next sought to synthesize a prostrain-protease inhibitor heterodimer. While our initial study of a prostratin-lopinavir heterodimer employing this linker strategy (<b>ProLpvS₂Me₂</b>) did not show significant HIV latency reversal activity, we hope to expand our heterodimer studies to achieve dual therapeutic molecules that can both reverse HIV latency and deliver antivirals to HIV reservoirs.</p><p>In order to combat intracellular bacteria our group has focused on development of a novel class of cell penetrating peptides with intrinsic broad spectrum antimicrobial activity that are based on a repeating amino acid triad which forms a cationic amphiphilic polyproline helix (CAPH) scaffold. The first member of this class, <b>P14LRR</b>, exhibited clearance of intracellular bacteria and concentration dependent co-localization within mammalian cells. In efforts to optimize antimicrobial activity we have expanded the CAPHs library by adjusting the chain length between the proline backbone and the guanadinium groups of the cationic amino acids. The first peptide from this expanded library, <b>P14GAP</b> showed much greater cell penetration and antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogenic bacteria. However, <b>P14GAP</b> also showed greater toxicity towards mammalian cells, increased hemolysis, and greater membrane binding with mammalian cells as compared to <b>P14LRR</b>. Here we describe the design and synthesis of <b>P14GAP-C1</b>, which contains a methylene between the proline backbone and the guanadinium group. This new analogue decreased the hemolysis activity as compared to <b>P14GAP</b>, although similar membrane binding with mammalian cells was observed. This improvement in hemolysis activity and a slight improvement in cell viability may allow us to use higher concentrations of peptide to treat multidrug resistant bacterial infections.</p><p> </p>

Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol Succinate 1000 (TPGS 1000) can inhibit P-glycoprotein (P-gp); TPGS 1000 was not originally designed to inhibit an efflux pump. Recent work from our laboratories demonstrated that TPGS activity has a rational PEG chain length dependency. In other recent work, inhibition mechanism was investigated and appears to be specific to the ATPase providing P-gp energy. Based on these observations, we commenced rational surface-active design. The current work summarizes new materials tested in a validated Caco-2 cell monolayer model; rhodamine 123 (10 μM) was used as the P-gp substrate. These results demonstrate that one may logically construct non-ionic surfactants with enhanced propensity to inhibit in vitro efflux. One new surfactant based inhibitor, Tocopheryl Polypropylene Glycol Succinate 1000 (TPPG 1000), approached cyclosporine (CsA) in its in vitro efflux inhibitory potency. Subsequently, TPPG 1000 was tested for its ability to enhance the bioavailability of raloxifene - an established P-gp substrate - in fasted male rats. Animals dosed with raloxifene and TPPG 1000 experienced an increase in raloxifene oral bioavailability versus a control group which received no inhibitor. These preliminary results demonstrate that one may prepare TPGS analogs that possess enhanced inhibitory potency in vitro and in vivo.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a unique membranous barrier, which segregates brain from the circulating blood. It works as a physical and metabolic barrier between the central nervous system (CNS) and periphery. In mammals, endothelial cells were shown to be of BBB and are characterized by the tight junctions along with efflux system which are responsible for the restriction of movement of molecules within the cells. Efflux system consists of multidrug resistance proteins such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp). P-gp removes substances out back from the brain to the blood before they reach to the brain. So the barrier is impermeable to many compounds such as amino acids, ions, small peptides and proteins, making it the most challenging factor for the development of new drugs for targeting CNS. Curcumin is a bioactive compound that has a number of health promoting benefits such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-oxidant agent; as well as a role in neurodegenerative diseases, but low oral bioavailability is the major limiting factor. Low water solubility and rapid metabolism are the two important factors responsible for poor bioavailability of curcumin. Galaxolide is a musk compound and previously known for the bioaccumulation of toxic components in the aquatic animals by interference with the activity of multidrug/multixenobiotic resistance efflux transporters (MDR/MXR). The bioavailability of curcumin can be enhanced when administered with galaxolide. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of galaxolide on the permeation of curcumin through the epithelial cell monolayers. MDCKII-MDR1 cell monolayer is used an in vitro blood-brain barrier model while Caco-2 monolayer is used as an in vitro intestinal model, which also expresses the P-glycoprotein. The curcumin and galaxolide were separately solubilised in the DMSO and used in combination to perform permeation study, to determine the effect of galaxolide on curcumin permeation through epithelial cell monolayers. The galaxolide shows an efflux protein inhibition activity and this activity was used to enhance permeation of curcumin through the Caco-2 monolayer. In summary, galaxolide is a novel permeation enhancer molecule, which can be used for the improvement of drug delivery of other bioactive compounds in future. / Department of Social Welfare, Govt. of Maharashtra (India)