0000000000548248
AUTHOR
Antonio Ferrer-montiel
showing 6 related works from this author
Arginine-rich peptides are blockers of VR-1 channels with analgesic activity
2000
Vanilloid receptors (VRs) play a fundamental role in the transduction of peripheral tissue injury and/or inflammation responses. Molecules that antagonize VR channel activity may act as selective and potent analgesics. We report that synthetic arginine-rich hexapeptides block heterologously expressed VR-1 channels with submicromolar efficacy in a weak voltage-dependent manner, consistent with a binding site located near/at the entryway of the aqueous pore. Dynorphins, natural arginine-rich peptides, also blocked VR-1 activity with micromolar affinity. Notably, synthetic and natural arginine-rich peptides attenuated the ocular irritation produced by topical capsaicin application onto the eye…
Selected peptides targeted to the NMDA receptor channel protect neurons from excitotoxic death
1998
Excitotoxic neuronal death, associated with neurodegeneration and stroke, is triggered primarily by massive Ca2+ influx arising from overactivation of glutamate receptor channels of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype. To search for channel blockers, synthetic combinatorial libraries were assayed for block of agonist-evoked currents by the human NR1-NR2A NMDA receptor subunits expressed in amphibian oocytes. A set of arginine-rich hexapeptides selectively blocked the NMDA receptor channel with IC50 approximately 100 nM, a potency similar to clinically tolerated blockers such as memantine, and only marginally blocked on non-NMDA glutamate receptors. These peptides prevent neuronal cell d…
Small molecule inhibitors of Apaf-1-related caspase- 3/-9 activation that control mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis
2006
10 pages, 5 figures.-- PMID: 16341125 [PubMed].-- Available online Dec 9, 2005.
Design of bioactive and structurally well-defined peptides from conformationally restricted libraries
2004
Libraries of peptides and proteins can be categorized according to the function of their origin in gene- and synthetic-based libraries. Both kinds of libraries have the potential to generate the same grade of molecular diversity, although the limits imposed by the synthetic methods have been lately a matter of discussion. However, the use of synthetic strategies allows incorporation of non-natural amino acids. The development of canfonnallonally restricted synthetic peptide libraries can be considered as a point of convergence of the two methodologies. In these libraries the diversity is grafted into scaffolds that are defined by stable secondary structural motifs, and the deconvolution pro…
A synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) with antiwrinkle activity
2008
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) represent a revolution in cosmetic science because of their remarkable and long-lasting antiwrinkle activity. However, their high neurotoxicity seriously limits their use. Thus, there is a need to design and validate non-toxic molecules that mimic the action of BoNTs. The hexapeptide Ac-EEMQRR-NH2 (coined Argireline) was identified as a result of a rational design programme. Noteworthy, skin topography analysis of an oil/water (O/W) emulsion containing 10% of the hexapeptide on healthy women volunteers reduced wrinkle depth up to 30% upon 30 days treatment. Analysis of the mechanism of action showed that Argireline significantly inhibited neurotransmitter relea…
Identification of SNARE complex modulators that inhibit exocytosis from an alpha-helix-constrained combinatorial library.
2003
Synthetic peptides patterned after the proteins involved in vesicle fusion [the so-called SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor) proteins] are potent inhibitors of SNARE complex assembly and neuronal exocytosis. It is noteworthy that the identification of peptide sequences not related to the SNARE proteins has not been accomplished yet; this is due, in part, to the structural constraints and the specificity of the protein interactions that govern the formation of the SNARE complex. Here we have addressed this question and used a combinatorial approach to identify peptides that modulate the assembly of the SNARE core complex and inhibit neuronal…