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showing 6 items of 726 documents
Contribution of Molecular Structure to Self-Assembling and Biological Properties of Bifunctional Lipid-Like 4-(
2019
The design of nanoparticle delivery materials possessing biological activities is an attractive strategy for the development of various therapies. In this study, 11 cationic amphiphilic 4-(N-alkylpyridinium)-1,4-dihydropyridine (1,4-DHP) derivatives differing in alkyl chain length and propargyl moiety/ties number and position were selected for the study of their self-assembling properties, evaluation of their cytotoxicity in vitro and toxicity on microorganisms, and the characterisation of their interaction with phospholipids. These lipid-like 1,4-DHPs have been earlier proposed as promising nanocarriers for DNA delivery. We have revealed that the mean diameter of freshly prepared nanoparti…
Marine Invertebrates as Bioindicators of Heavy Metal Pollution
2015
The marine environment presents a range of anthropogenic contaminants. According to the World Health Organization, more than 100,000 chemicals are released into the global environment every year as a consequence of their production, use and disposal. The fate of a chemical substance depends on physical-chemical properties, in combination with the characteristics of the environment where it is released. Among the substances that accumulate in the sea, for anthropogenic activities, metals/metalloids have a leading position. Some of these have a biological role but their bioaccumulation is injurious. Chemical pollutants can cause effects on organisms, biodiversity and human health. Various eff…
Analysis of the effects of co-exposure to antibiotics and cadmium on sea urchin embryos
2014
In order to understand the mechanisms of responses to changes in the physical and chemical environment, as well as the mechanisms of developmental pathways, we investigated by RT-qPCR assays and light microscopy observations the impact of antibiotics and cadmium in P. lividus sea urchin embryos. In particular we inspected development and biomarkers for free radical damage and apoptosis. During development embryos were exposed to an antibiotic mix (Ab mix, usually added to sea urchin cultures) or to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim mix (TMP/SMX, usually added to aquacultures) and/or levels of 10-5, 10-4, 10-3 M CdCl2. Even though treatment with TMP/SMX apparently did not affect development, it …
Parasite avoidance behaviours in aquatic environments
2018
Parasites, including macroparasites, protists, fungi, bacteria and viruses, can impose a heavy burden upon host animals. However, hosts are not without defences. One aspect of host defence, behavioural avoidance, has been studied in the terrestrial realm for over 50 years, but was first reported from the aquatic environment approximately 20 years ago. Evidence has mounted on the importance of parasite avoidance behaviours and it is increasingly apparent that there are core similarities in the function and benefit of this defence mechanism between terrestrial and aquatic systems. However, there are also stark differences driven by the unique biotic and abiotic characteristics of terrestrial …
Thiazole Analogues of the Marine Alkaloid Nortopsentin as Inhibitors of Bacterial Biofilm Formation
2020
Anti-virulence strategy is currently considered a promising approach to overcome the global threat of the antibiotic resistance. Among different bacterial virulence factors, the biofilm formation is recognized as one of the most relevant. Considering the high and growing percentage of multi-drug resistant infections that are biofilm-mediated, new therapeutic agents capable of counteracting the formation of biofilms are urgently required. In this scenario, a new series of 18 thiazole derivatives was efficiently synthesized and evaluated for its ability to inhibit biofilm formation against the Gram-positive bacterial reference strains Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and S. aureus ATCC 6538 a…
Infection-induced chromatin modifications facilitate translocation of herpes simplex virus capsids to the inner nuclear membrane
2021
Herpes simplex virus capsids are assembled and packaged in the nucleus and move by diffusion through the nucleoplasm to the nuclear envelope for egress. Analyzing their motion provides conclusions not only on capsid transport but also on the properties of the nuclear environment during infection. We utilized live-cell imaging and single-particle tracking to characterize capsid motion relative to the host chromatin. The data indicate that as the chromatin was marginalized toward the nuclear envelope it presented a restrictive barrier to the capsids. However, later in infection this barrier became more permissive and the probability of capsids to enter the chromatin increased. Thus, although …