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Photoswitchable peptides as new antimicrobial and anticancer agents
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Design and mechanistic characterization of novel antimicrobial and anticancer peptides
Publication . Felício, Mário Romão; Abreu, Sónia Gonçalves; Santos, Nuno Correia
The medical field related to bacterial infections and cancer are currently facing currently one of the biggest challenges, mostly due to conventional treatments inefficiency after years of overuse and misuse in clinics. Cases of multi-resistant bacterial infections are increasing every year, according to World Health Organization (WHO), explained by resistant microorganisms’ predominance after antibiotic usage and limited pharmaceutical development of new drugs. As for cancer therapeutics, unspecific treatments that promote severe side effects had another reported consequence, increased cancer resistance, prolonging patients’treatment.
As a result, new alternatives are necessary to fight these challenges, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and anticancer peptides (ACPs). These peptides physical-chemical properties, such as small amino acid sequence, amphipathicity and positive net charge, allow them to act selectively at specific cell membranes, mostly due to electrostatic interactions (cationic vs. anionic membranes). Besides, they can be used against different targets, with reported activity against bacteria, viruses, fungi and cancer cells. In the last case, they are dependent of cancer cell membrane phosphatidylserine (PS) translocation from internal to external membrane leaflet, which increases the negative cell surface charge.
Throughout the work here presented, we focused on new AMPs designed according to two different strategies: (i) Pa-MAP 2 and Pa-MAP 1.9, synthetic AMPs redesign from a natural protein from the polar fish Pleuronectes americanus (winter flounder), and (ii) EcAMP1R4, PaDBS1R1 and PaDBS1R6, synthetic peptides designed through a bioinformatics algorithm that considers chemical properties and activity efficiency. In both cases, a multidisciplinary approach was performed, using biophysics and cell biology techniques to study their activity in vitro, using membrane models, bacterial and cancer cell lines, and in vivo infection models.
Considering the Pa-MAP peptide family (Pa-MAP 2 and Pa-MAP 1.9), with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 3.2 and 6.0 μM against Escherichia coli, respectively, they were shown to be efficient against a multi-resistant strain from a clinical isolates, inclusively with promising results demonstrated with an in vivo infection mice model. Nevertheless, only Pa-MAP 1.9 showed to have dual activity (AMP and ACP), being tested in two different cell lines, HeLa and HCT-166. Despite its efficiency in promoting cancer cell death, Pa-MAP 1.9 showed a different mechanistic behaviour for the cell lines tested, promoting total cell death after 6 h of incubation (IC50 of 51.8 ± 1.23 μM) and membrane homeostasis destabilization.
As for the synthetic peptides (EcAMP1R4, PaDBS1R1 and PaDBS1R6), their antimicrobial activity was confirmed in vitro, according to bioinformatics studies, with MIC values against E. coli of 11.7, 1.5 and 8.0 μM, respectively. In vivo studies were also performed for the last two peptides, confirming their potential as future antimicrobial drug molecules. Their dynamics after membrane interaction was likewise studied, either using bacteria cells or lipid vesicles, showing that different biomembrane properties are destabilized, which could determinate AMP efficiency. Structure conversion to a-helix after membrane interaction showed to be the first step for peptide activity.
Concluding, the work discussed in this thesis resulted in new peptide molecules that are effective AMPs and, one of them (Pa-MAP 1.9), also as ACP. Their activity was characterized in vitro and in vivo through new approaches, with the objective of identifying new insights that may help in future peptide design. Even with the promising results achieved so far, their potential use in therapeutics need to be further tested, considering their efficiency, but also their applicability, focusing on patients and in the pharmaceutical industry needs.
Selective antibacterial activity of the cationic peptide PaDBS1R6 against Gram-negative bacteria
Publication . Fensterseifer, Isabel C. M.; Felício, Mário Romão; Alves, Eliane S. F.; Cardoso, Marlon H.; Torres, Marcelo D. T.; Matos, Carolina O.; Silva, Osmar N.; Lu, Timothy K.; Freire, Maurício V.; Neves, Natan C.; Gonçalves, Sónia; Lião, Luciano M.; Santos, Nuno C.; Porto, William F.; de la Fuente-Nunez, Cesar; Franco, Octavio L.
Infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa foremost among them, constitute a major worldwide health problem. Bioinformatics methodologies are being used to rationally design new antimicrobial peptides, a potential alternative for treating these infections. One of the algorithms used to develop antimicrobial peptides is the Joker, which was used to design the peptide PaDBS1R6. This study evaluates the antibacterial activities of PaDBS1R6 in vitro and in vivo, characterizes the peptide interaction to target membranes, and investigates the PaDBS1R6 structure in contact with mimetic vesicles. Moreover, we demonstrate that PaDBS1R6 exhibits selective antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacteria. In the presence of negatively charged and zwitterionic lipids the structural arrangement of PaDBS1R6 transits from random coil to α-helix, as characterized by circular dichroism. The tertiary structure of PaDBS1R6 was determined by NMR in zwitterionic dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelles. In conclusion, PaDBS1R6 is a candidate for the treatment of nosocomial infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, as template for producing other antimicrobial agents.
Psd2 pea defensin shows a preference for mimetic membrane rafts enriched with glucosylceramide and ergosterol
Publication . Amaral, Virginia Sara Grancieri; Fernandes, Caroline Mota; Felício, Mário Romão; Valle, Aline Sol; Quintana, Paula G.; Almeida, Caroline Correa; Barreto-Bergter, Eliana; Gonçalves, Sónia; Santos, Nuno C.; Kurtenbach, Eleonora
Psd2 is a pea defensin with 47 amino acid residues that inhibits the growth of fungal species by an uncharacterized mechanism. In this work, Psd2 interactions with model membranes mimicking the lipid compositions of different organisms were evaluated. Protein-lipid overlay assays indicated that Psd2 recognizes Fusarium solani glucosylceramide (GlcCerF.solani) and ergosterol (Erg) in addition to phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and some phosphatidylinositol species, such as PtdIns (3)P, (5)P and (3,5)P2, suggesting that these lipids may play important roles as Psd2 targets. Assays using lipid vesicles were also performed to study the behaviour and dynamics that occur after peptide-membrane interactions. Surface plasmon resonance analysis showed that Psd2 has a higher affinity for pure POPC and POPC-based vesicles containing GlcCer and Erg at a 70:30 proportion than for vesicles containing cholesterol (Chol). Partition experiments by fluorescence spectroscopy showed a decrease in Trp42 quantum yield of Psd2 in the presence of GlcCerF.solani and Erg, individually or in simultaneously enriched membranes. The partition coefficient (Kp) obtained indicated a Psd2 partition preference for this vesicles, confirmed by quenching assays using acrylamide and 5/16-doxyl-stearic acid. Furthermore, we showed that the presence of C8C9 double bonds and a methyl group at position C9 of the sphingoid base backbone of GlcCer was relevant to Psd2 activity against Aspergillus nidulans. These results are consistent with the selectivity of Psd2 against fungi and its lack of toxicity in human erythrocytes. Psd2 represents a promising natural compound for the treatment of fungal infections.
Application of light scattering techniques to nanoparticle characterization and development
Publication . Carvalho, Patricia; Felício, Mário Romão; Santos, Nuno C.; Abreu, Sónia Gonçalves; Domingues, Marco
Over the years, the scientific importance of nanoparticles for biomedical applications has increased. The high stability and biocompatibility, together with the low toxicity of the nanoparticles developed lead to their use as targeted drug delivery systems, bioimaging systems, and biosensors. The wide range of nanoparticles size, from 10 nm to 1 μm, as well as their optical properties, allow them to be studied using microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. In order to be effectively used, the physicochemical properties of nanoparticle formulations need to be taken into account, namely, particle size, surface charge distribution, surface derivatization and/or loading capacity, and related interactions. These properties need to be optimized considering the final nanoparticle intended biodistribution and target. In this review, we cover light scattering based techniques, namely dynamic light scattering and zeta-potential, used for the physicochemical characterization of nanoparticles. Dynamic light scattering is used to measure nanoparticles size, but also to evaluate their stability over time in suspension, at different pH and temperature conditions. Zeta-potential is used to characterize nanoparticles surface charge, obtaining information about their stability and surface interaction with other molecules. In this review, we focus on nanoparticle characterization and application in infection, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Fast and potent bactericidal membrane lytic activity of PaDBS1R1, a novel cationic antimicrobial peptide
Publication . Irazazabal, Luz N.; Porto, William F.; Fensterseifer, Isabel C. M.; Alves, Eliane S. F.; Matos, Carolina O.; Menezes, Antônio C. S.; Felício, Mário Romão; Abreu, Sónia Gonçalves; Santos, Nuno C.; Ribeiro, Suzana M.; Humblot, Vincent; Lião, Luciano M.; Ladram, Ali; Franco, Octavio L.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising candidates for the development of future antibiotics. In an attempt to increase the efficacy of therapeutic AMPs, computer-based design methods appear as a reliable strategy. In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial efficiency and mechanism of action of a novel designed AMP named PaDBS1R1, previously designed by means of the Joker algorithm, using a fragment of the ribosomal protein L39E from the archaeon Pyrobaculum aerophilum as a template. PaDBS1R1 displayed low micromolar broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative (MIC of 1.5 μM) and Gram-positive (MIC of 3 μM) bacteria, including carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (MIC of 6.25 μM) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MIC of 12.5 μM), without cytotoxicity towards HEK-293 cells. In addition, membrane permeabilization and depolarization assays, combined with time-kill studies and FEG-SEM imaging, indicated a fast membrane permeation and further leakage of intracellular content. Biophysical studies with lipid vesicles show a preference of PaDBS1R1 for Gram-negative bacteria-like membranes. We investigated the three-dimensional structure of PaDBS1R1 by CD and NMR analyses. Our results suggest that PaDBS1R1 adopts an amphipathic α-helix upon interacting with hydrophobic environments, after an initial electrostatic interaction with negative charges, suggesting a membrane lytic effect. This study reveals that PaDBS1R1 has potential application in antibiotic therapy.
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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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OE
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SFRH/BD/100517/2014