Search results for "Biophysics"
showing 10 items of 3515 documents
Sequential dissociation of insulin amyloids probed by high pressure Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
2012
High Pressure (HP) Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) has been here employed to investigate the thermodynamic stability of bovine pancreatic insulin (BPI) amyloids. Once the aggregation reaction has started, the backbone arrangement of the proteins forming the amyloid is known to reach a stationary phase in few hours; after this time the infrared absorption of fibrils becomes stable. It is here shown how the further stabilization of the structure during the stationary phase can be probed via FTIR spectroscopy, through the observation of the high pressure behaviour of fibrils formed at different maturation stages. We report on the high pressure fragmentation of insulin amyloids, …
Biodistribution of Insulin-Nanogels in Mouse: A Preliminary Study for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
2017
A growing body of evidence shows that Insulin, Insulin Receptor (IR) and IR signaling are involved in brain cognitive functions and their dysfunction is implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) neurodegeneration. Thus, administration of insulin could be a strategy for AD treatment. For this aim we have designed, synthesized and characterized a nanogel system (NG) that has been conjugated to insulin molecules (NG-In) to deliver the protein into the brain, as a tool for the development of a new therapy against AD. In our preclinical study in mice, intraperitoneal injection of fluorescent-labeled NG has allowed to determine the biodistribution of NG vs time in the whole body and its clearance th…
FTIR analysis of the high pressure response of native insulin assemblies
2013
It is widely recognized that a central role in conferring stability to the structure of proteins against misfolding and aggregation is played by the formation of oligomers. The case of insulin is prototypical in this respect: in our body it is stored up in stable inactive hexameric assemblies whereas only in its monomeric form it recovers the role of regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism. In the present paper, exploiting the optimal coupling between FTIR spectroscopy and diamond anvil cell technique, we probe the stability of different insulin oligomeric forms under high pressure, namely over the ranges 0-15 kbar for water solution and 0-80 kbar for dry powder. Results obtained show di…
Increased carrier peptide stability through ph adjustment improves insulin and pth(1-34) delivery in vitro and in vivo rather than by enforced carrie…
2020
Oral delivery of therapeutic peptides is hampered by their large molecular size and labile nature, thus limiting their permeation across the intestinal epithelium. Promising approaches to overcome the latter include co-administration with carrier peptides. In this study, the cell-penetrating peptide penetratin was employed to investigate effects of co-administration with insulin and the pharmacologically active part of parathyroid hormone (PTH(1-34)) at pH 5, 6.5, and 7.4 with respect to complexation, enzymatic stability, and transepithelial permeation of the therapeutic peptide in vitro and in vivo. Complex formation between insulin or PTH(1-34) and penetratin was pH-dependent. Micron-size…
A discourse on human hair fibers and reflections on the conservation of drug molecules
1996
A gross discourse on human hair fibers and their formation is presented stressing the various interdisciplinary aspects, such as the morphological, biological, structural and biochemical data considered to be important in the field of hair analysis. An attempt is made to explain the incorporation of drug molecules during hair fiber formation by using the classical concepts of drug absorption based on lipoid theory and the pH-partition hypothesis as well as a modern biological approach on the permeability of cell membranes. In addition to the physiochemical considerations of the transport properties of a particular drug molecule such as a) the lipophilicity, which determines permeability thr…
PET Imaging of the Impact of Extracellular pH and MAP Kinases on the p-Glycoprotein (Pgp) Activity
2012
The functional activity of p-glycoprotein (Pgp) can be increased in vitro by an extracellular acidosis via activation of MAP kinases (p38, ERK1/2). In order to study these effects in vivo a new (68)Ga-labeled PET tracer was developed which serves as a substrate of the Pgp and therefore indirectly mirrors the Pgp activity. For in vivo studies, experimental tumors were imaged under acidic conditions (inspiratory hypoxia, injection of lactic acid) and during inhibition of MAP kinases in a μ-PET system. In vitro, [(68)Ga]MFL6.MZ showed an accumulation within the cells of about 20% which was increased to 30% by Pgp inhibition. In solid tumors a marked tracer uptake was observed showing spatial h…
On the local mode behaviour of the XH2/XD2 and XD/XH fragments with respect to the deuterated species of the near local mode XH3(C3v ) molecule
2009
International audience; Effect of isotopic substitution in the near local mode, XH3(C3v), molecules is considered. On that basis it is shown that the spectroscopic properties of deuterated and/or di-deuterated isotopic species of the XH3(C3v) molecule with the value of interbond angle close to π/2 are analogous to the spectroscopic properties of its separate fragments: of a three-atomic local mode 'molecule' XH2/XD2 and of a diatomic XD/XH 'molecule'. The phosphine molecule is considered as an illustration.
Medial gastrocnemius muscle fascicle function during heel-rise after non-operative repair of Achilles tendon rupture
2023
Background To better understand muscle remodelling in dynamic conditions after an Achilles tendon rupture, this study examined the length of medial gastrocnemius muscle fascicles during a heel-rise at 6- and 12-months after non-operative ATR treatment. Methods Participants (15 M, 3F) were diagnosed with acute Achilles tendon rupture. Medial gastrocnemius subtendon length, fascicle length and pennation angle were assessed in resting conditions, and fascicle shortening during bi- and unilateral heel-rises. Findings Fascicle shortening was smaller on the injured side (mean difference [95% CI]: −9. 7 mm [−14.7 to −4.7 mm]; −11.1 mm [−16.5 to −5.8 mm]) and increased from 6- to 12 months (4.5 mm …
Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the major capsid proteins VP16 and VP17 of bacteriophage P23-77.
2012
The major capsid proteins VP16 and VP17 of bacteriophage P23-77 have been crystallized using both recombinant and purified virus and preliminary diffraction analyses have been performed.
Sharing the salt bowl: counterion identity drives N-alkyl resorcinarene affinity for pyrophosphate in water
2021
N-Alkyl ammonium resorcinarene chloride receptors, NARX4, have been shown to act as high-sensitivity detectors of pyrophosphate (PPi), a biomarker of disease, in aqueous media through the chloride-to-PPi exchange [NAR(Cl)4 to NARPPi]. The nature of the anion of the macrocyclic NARX4 (X = Cl−, Br−, triflate OTf−) receptor greatly influences the PPi-affinity in aqueous media. The binding affinity for [NAR (Cl)4] is 3.61 × 105 M−1, while the NAR (Br)4 and NAR (OTf)4 show stronger binding of 5.30 × 105 M−1, and 6.10 × 105 M−1, respectively. The effects of upper rim ammonium cation, –N+H2R substituents (R = 3-hydroxypropyl, cyclohexyl, benzyl, or napththalen-1-ylmethyl), of the macrocyclic resor…