Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - Volume 18, Issue 2, 2017

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and proteins are produced by a wide range of organisms as important elements of their defense mechanisms, forming a large number of antimicrobial compounds that can be used to treat several human infections. The potential for the use of AMPs and antimicrobial proteins in therapeutics is growing, but their application is often limited, due to their poor physical and/or chemical propert Read More

Background: Pullulan is a microbial polysaccharide of low energy value, which can component of low-calorie foods and in dietary snacks for diabetics. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of pullulan on the growth and fermentation activity of selected human intestinal bacteria. Methods: Commercial pullulan purchased from Focubase (China) of a molecular weight of 100,000 Da constituted as experime Read More

Background: Cancer patients treated with alkylating agents and radiotherapy are exposed to high level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in tissues. ROS can involve superoxide free radicals, peroxynitrite, singlet oxygen, nitric oxide and hydrogen peroxide. It is well documented that increased exposure to oxygen through a high metabolic rate could lead to a shortened life span. Ionizing radiation, use of drugs and the developm Read More

Background: Gram positive bacteria produce peptides, defined bacteriocins which exhibit good antibacterial activity. Objective: We evaluated the ability of L. fermentum to produce bacteriocins having therefore, good probiotic features and finally, be safe towards microglial cells. Method: Eight wild strains, identified using molecular techniques, were investigated for the evaluation of resistance to bile salts, low pH, H2O2 producti Read More

Background: In this study, the effect of low concentrations of poly(amido)amine dendrimers (G2-G4) on human lymphocytes was studied. Some works revealed that PAMAMs can adversely affect the morphology of blood components and mitochondria functions. In this context, the present report aimed to investigate the in vitro cationic dendrimers’ effect on mitochondrial respiration and cell morphology in lymphocytes isol Read More

Background: Phosvitin (PV) is a highly-phosphorylated metal-binding protein in egg yolk. Phosphoserine clusters make PV resistant to enzymatic digestion, which might be nutritionally undesirable. Objective: This study was designed to determine the effects of high hydrostatic pressure and enzymatic hydrolysis (HHP-EH) on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of PV hydrolysates (PVHs). Methods: PV was hydroly Read More

Background: Biologically synthetized silver nanoparticles are promising antimicrobial agent. Flow cytometry, well diffusion methods, colony-forming units (CFU) and spectroscopic approach are commonly used in antimicrobial study. The aim of this study was investigation of effectiveness of Bio- AgNPs synthesized by Actinomycetes HGG16n using fluorescence flow cytometry method as an alternative to the standard ones (well an Read More

Background: Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus - GBS) remains a leading cause of neonatal infections and an important cause of invasive infections in adults with underlying conditions. Methods: This study evaluated for the first time the effect of an oleoresin collected from Copaifera multijuga Hayne (copaiba oil) alone or in combination with silver nanoparticles produced by green synthesis using Fusarium ox Read More