Impacts of environmental issues on health and well-being: a global pollution challenge

Every 2 years, the environmental, chemical, and health research communities meet in Costa de Caparica, Portugal to showcase the latest technologies, methodologies and research advances in pollution detection, contamination control, remediation, and related health issues. Since its inception in 2015, the International Caparica Conference on Pollution Metal Ions and Molecules (PTIM) has become a biennial global forum to hear from those who protect the land, the water, and the air at all environmental scales. During past PTIM editions, we have learned about numerous efforts to develop new recovery and clean-up processes to restore the natural equilibria of our planet. Soil, land, water, and air are the key focus of efforts that will require deeper understanding and better control.publishersversionpublishe

Búsqueda de biomarcadores séricos de artrosis mediante depleción secuencias combinada con DIGE

Comunicaciones a congreso

Reducing high abundance proteins in human serum: depletion versus equalization

Comunicaciones a congreso

Development of Cyanine 813@Imidazole-Based Doped Supported Devices for Divalent Metal Ions Detection

PM003/2016 IF/00007/2015 CEECIND/00648/2017A NIR cyanine@imidazole derivative Cy1 was synthesized and evaluated as a metal ion sensor in solution. Cy1 was shown to be very sensitive to all metal ions tested, presenting a blue shift in the absorption from 668 nm to 633 nm, followed by a change in colour from pale green to blue with Zn2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Ni2+ and Hg2+ ions. Despite the blue shift in the absorption, a decrease at 633 nm (with a colour change from pale green to colourless), as well as a quenching in the emission intensity at 785 nm were observed for Cu2+ ions. The results show the formation of sandwich complexes of two ligands per metal ion with the highest association constant observed for Cu2+ (Log Kass.abs = 14.76 ± 0.09; Log Kass.emis. = 14.79 ± 0.06). The minimal detectable amounts were found to be 31 nM and 37 nM, with a naked eye detection of 2.9 ppm and 2.1 ppm for Hg2+ and Cu2+ ions, respectively. These results prompted us to explore the applicability of Cy1 by its combination with nanomaterials. Thus, Cy1@ doped MNs and Cy1@ doped PMMA nanoparticles were synthesized. Both nanosystems were shown to be very sensitive to Cu2+ ions in water, allowing a naked-eye detection of at least 1 ppm for Cy1@ doped MNs and 7 ppm for Cy1@ doped PMMA. This colourimetric response is an easy and inexpensive way to assess the presence of metals in aqueous media with no need for further instrumentation.publishersversionpublishe

Validation of a Standard Luminescence Method for the Fast Determination of the Antimicrobial Activity of Nanoparticles in Escherichia coli

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The use of nanoparticles in multiple industries has raised concerned voices about the assessment of their toxicity/antimicrobial activity and the development of standardized handling protocols. Issues emerge during the antimicrobial assaying of multiple cargo, colorimetric, colloidal nanoformulations, as standard protocols often rely on visual evaluations, or optical density (OD) measurements, leading to high variance inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Thus, a fast, luminescence-based assay for the effective assessment of the antimicrobial activity of nanoparticles is herein reported, using the bioluminescence of an in-house E. coli ATCC® 8739™ construct with the pMV306G13 + Lux plasmid (E. coli Lux). The new strain’s sensitivity to ofloxacin as a standard antibiotic was confirmed, and the methodology robustness verified against multiple nanoparticles and colorimetric drugs. The reduction of incubation from 24 to only 8 h, and the sole use of luminescence (LUX490) to accurately determine and distinguish MIC50 and MIC90, are two main advantages of the method. By discarding OD measurements, one can avoid turbidity and color interferences when calculating bacterial growth. This approach is an important tool that contributes to the standardization of methods, reducing samples’ background interference and focusing on luminescence as a direct probe for bacterial metabolic activity, growth and, most importantly, the correct assessment of nanomaterials’ antimicrobial activity.publishersversionpublishe

A Espectrometria de Massa de Alta Resolução na Medicina Personalizada: Proteína 4 de Ligação ao Retinol como Candidata a Biomarcador Preditor de Progressão no Carcinoma Urotelial da Bexiga

Introduction: Bladder cancer (BC) is the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer in males. A large proportion of T1 cases and some Ta cases are under-staged and the significant risk of residual tumour after initial TURB of TaT1 lesions has been demonstrated. A second TURB is recommended in T1 tumours because it can increase recurrence-free survival (RFS) providing prognostic information. Non-invasive methods differentiating bladder cancer stages would be essential for diagnosis of under staged cases. Previously we demonstrated that a panel of urinary proteins measured by high resolution mass spectrometry could predict bladder cancer stages namely Ta, T1 and T2 cases. Our aim is to increase the accuracy of the biomarker panel for BC stage differentiation using a more patients, also intending to identify proteins that could be a signature to bladder cancer progression. Methods: Forty-eight urine samples were collected from volun- teers of these groups: 20 patients with bladder cancer stage Ta; 19 patients with BC stage T1 and 9 patients with BC stage T2+ (T2, T3 and T4). Urinary proteome was cleaned and digested using the Filter-Aided Sample Preparation methodology and analysed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. For protein identification and label-free quantification we used MaxQuant, the data was further interrogated with the bioinformatics platform Perseus. Results: A biomarker panel was developed which consists of 87 proteins which were down-regulated between three different urothelial bladder carcinoma stages evaluated. Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) consistently increases from Ta to T1, to T2+ (p <0.001) and in high grade tumours (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Our results showed a proteomic biomarker panel capable to differentiate bladder cancer stages. Besides, retinolbinding protein 4 can be a candidate signature of progression.Introdução: O carcinoma urotelial da bexiga é a sétima neoplasia mais comum dos homens. Uma proporção significativa de T1 e Ta são subestadiados e o risco de doença residual já foi demonstrado. Assim, a segunda RTU-V recomenda-se nos tumores T1 e está associada ao aumento da taxa livre de recidiva fornecendo informação prognóstica. Por isso, métodos não invasivos, capazes de diferenciar os estadios assim como diagnosticar os casos subestadiados são cada vez mais necessários. Num estudo prévio, desenvolvemos um painel de proteínas identificadas por espetrometria de massa de alta resolução capaz de diferencias os estadios Ta, T1 e T2+ (T2 a T4). O objetivo deste estudo consiste em aumentar a eficácia deste painel em diferenciar os estadios do carcinoma urotelial da bexiga e associadamente identificar candidatos promissores a biomarcadores de progressão. Métodos: Colheram-se 48 urinas de voluntários dos seguintes grupos: 20 doentes com carcinoma urotelial da bexiga Ta; 19 doentes com T1 e 9 doentes com T2 + (T2, T3 e T4). O proteoma urinário foi preparado usando a metodologia filter-aided sample e analisado através da cromotografia liquida e espetrometria de massa de alta resolução. Para a identificação e quantificação das proteínas utilizamos o MaxQuant e os resultados analisados pela plataforma bioinformática Perseus. Resultados: Um painel de biomarcadores proteicos com 87 proteinas sobre e sub expressas nos diferentes estadios foi conseguido. A proteína de ligação ao retinol 4 aumentou consistentemente de Ta para T1 e T2+ (p < 0,001) e nos tumores de alto grau comparativamente aos de baixo grau (p = 0,006). Conclusão: O estudo mostrou um painel de biomarcadores proteicos capaz de diferenciar os estadios do carcinoma da bexiga. Além disso, a proteína de ligação ao retinol 4 poderá ser um candidato promissor a biomarcador de progressão.

Optical evaluation of dansyl derivatives and their implementation in low-cost and flexible dye-doped PMMA platforms for efficient detection of hazardous chemical vapours

E.O thanks FCT / MEC (Portugal) for the individual contract, CEECIND/05280/2022 . The financial support by the Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF) under grant – “Novel styryl and polymethine fluorophores as potential theranostic agents “contract KP-06-М59/1 from 15.11.2021 is gratefully acknowledged by A.K. This work is also developed and acknowledged by A.K. as part of contract BG-RRP-2.004-0002-C01, Laboratory of Organic Functional Materials (Project BiOrgaMCT), Procedure BG-RRP-2.004, Establishing of a network of research higher education institutions in Bulgaria”, funded by BULGARIAN NATIONAL RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN ”. G.D. thanks to the European Regional Development Fund within the Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart Growth 2014–2020 under the Project Center of Exellence: National center of mechatronics and clean technologies - BG05M2OP001-1.001-0008 for the financial support. Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The AuthorsThis work investigates the creation and analysis of six novel dansyl derivatives (named L1 to L6) and their incorporation into PMMA polymers for environmental sensing purposes. The properties of these derivatives were extensively examined in different solvents and solid states. Notably, they exhibited a significant change in color depending on the solvent's polarity, suggesting their potential to assess microenvironmental polarity. Moreover, these derivatives showed promising capabilities in selectively detecting Cu2+ and Hg2+ metal ions in acetonitrile solution, forming individual species with these metals. Furthermore, their responsiveness to changes in acidity and basicity was explored both in acetonitrile solution and within a PMMA polymer matrix, indicating their potential for pH-sensitive applications. By integrating these derivatives into PMMA polymers, acid-base sensitive materials were produced, suitable for monitoring environmental conditions such as hazardous gas detection and pH level changes. This integration addresses the solubility challenges of dansyl compounds and broadens their use in various sensing applications.publishersversionpublishe

Synthesis of mesoporous silica coated gold nanorods loaded with methylene blue and its potentials in antibacterial applications

Funding Information: Funding: We thank the financial support by the PROTEOMASS Scientific Society (Portugal) (General Funding Grant 2019–2020), as well as the Associate Laboratory Research Unit for Green Chemistry— Clean Processes and Technologies—LAQV-REQUIMTE financed by national funds from FCT/MEC (UIDB/04077/2020) and co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER—007265). J.D.; A.F.-L.; C.L.; J.F.-L. and J.L.C.-M. thanks to the FCT-MEC the research grant SiSi4Bacter (PTDC/QUI-COL/1517/2020). J.F.-L. thank FCT/MEC (Portugal) the junior researcher contract under DL57 pro-gramme. J.D. thanks the Project PTDC/QEQ-MED/2118/2014 for her researcher contract. A.F.-L. thanks the FCT-MEC Portugal for his doctoral grant associated with the Green Chemistry PhD. Program (SFRH/BD/52528/2014) and the PROTEOMASS Scientific Society Postdoctoral grant during August 2019–March 2021. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.In this work, the successful preparation and characterization of gold nanorods (AuNRs) coated with a mesoporous silica shell (AuNRs@Simes) was achieved. Conjugation with methylene blue (MB) as a model drug using ultrasound-stimulated loading has been explored for further application in light-mediated antibacterial studies. Lyophilization of this conjugated nanosystem was analyzed using trehalose (TRH) as a cryogenic protector. The obtained stable dry formulation shows potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria after a simple post-treatment irradiation method with a red laser during a short time period.publishersversionpublishe

Tailoring Mesoporous Silica-Coated Silver Nanoparticles and Polyurethane-Doped Films for Enhanced Antimicrobial Applications

This work was supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry—LAQV which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020) as well as the Scientific Society PROTEOMASS (Portugal) for funding support (General Funding Grant). This work was also supported by the Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Center- MEtRICs which is funded by national funds from FCT/MCTES (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04077/2020, (28 February 2024), https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/04077/2020 (28 February 2024)). S.N., J.F.-L., A.F.-L., E.O., J.L.C-M. and C.L. thank the FCT-MEC for the research grant SiSi4Bacter (PTDC/QUI-COL/1517/2020). E.O. thanks FCT/MEC (Portugal) for the individual contract, CEECIND/05280/2022. S.N. and J.G. thank the FCT/MCTES (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) for their doctoral grants associated with the Chemistry PhD program (SFRH/BD/144618/2019) and (2022.09495.BD). A.F.L. thanks the FCT/MCTES (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) for his research contract through the project PTDC/QUI-COL/1517/2020. J.F-.L. thanks the FC/MEC (Portugal) for the individual research contract DL57/2016 Norma Transitoria. The work was carried out partially through the INL User Facilities (Braga, Portugal). Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.The global increase in multidrug-resistant bacteria poses a challenge to public health and requires the development of new antibacterial materials. In this study, we examined the bactericidal properties of mesoporous silica-coated silver nanoparticles, varying the core sizes (ca. 28 nm and 51 nm). We also investigated gold nanoparticles (ca. 26 nm) coated with mesoporous silica as possible inert metal cores. To investigate the modification of antimicrobial activity after the surface charge change, we used silver nanoparticles with a silver core of 28 nm coated with a mesoporous shell (ca. 16 nm) and functionalized with a terminal amine group. Furthermore, we developed a facile method to create mesoporous silica-coated silver nanoparticles (Ag@mSiO2) doped films using polyurethane (IROGRAN®) as a polymer matrix via solution casting. The antibacterial effects of silver nanoparticles with different core sizes were analyzed against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria relevant to the healthcare and food industry. The results demonstrated that gold nanoparticles were inert, while silver nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial effects against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Choleraesuis) and Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus) strains. In particular, the larger Ag@mSiO2 nanoparticles showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 18 µg/mL in the Salmonella strain. Furthermore, upon terminal amine functionalization, reversing the surface charge to positive values, there was a significant increase in the antibacterial activity of the NPs compared to their negative counterparts. Finally, the antimicrobial properties of the nanoparticle-doped polyurethane films revealed a substantial improvement in antibacterial efficacy. This study provides valuable information on the potential of mesoporous silica-coated silver nanoparticles and their applications in fighting multidrug-resistant bacteria, especially in the healthcare and food industries.publishersversionpublishe

Innovative colorimetric detection of clinical Gram-negative bacteria using low-cost bacteriostatic barbiturate polymers

Funding Information: This work was supported by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry - LAQV which is financed by national funds from the PROTEOMASS Scientific Society (Portugal) for funding support (General Funding Grant 2022–2023). EO thanks FCT/MEC (Portugal) for the individual contract, CEECIND/05280/2022. The financial support by the Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF) under grant – “Novel styryl and polymethine fluorophores as potential theranostic agents “contract N◦ КП-06-М59/1 from November 15, 2021 is gratefully acknowledged by A.K. This work is also developed and acknowledged by A.K. as part of contract N◦: BG-RRP-2.004-0002-C01, Laboratory of Organic Functional Materials (Project BiOrgaMCT), Procedure BG-RRP-2.004, Establishing of a network of research higher education institutions in Bulgaria”, funded by BULGARIAN NATIONAL RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE PLAN”. G.D. thanks to the European Regional Development Fund within the Operational Programme Science and Education for Smart Growth 2014–2020 under the Project Center of Exellence: National center of mechatronics and clean technologies - BG05M2OP001-1.001-0008 for the financial support. Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The AuthorsThis study introduces the synergistic antibacterial activity derived from the combination of barbituric acid derivatives with PVC, PMMA and PMMMA polymers. The barbiturates - C1, C2, and C3, exhibit potent Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values and clear selectivity towards Gram-positive bacteria in solution, resulting in inhibitory activity at exceptionally low concentrations (0.19–0.0015 μg/mL). By integrating these barbiturates within polymeric matrices, an advanced antibacterial polymer was obtained. This novel material facilitates the dual benefit of detecting Gram-negative bacterial colonies via colorimetric alterations, while simultaneously providing a broad-spectrum antibacterial approach, effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The potential of these barbiturate-enhanced polymers is substantial, not least because of their cost-effective nature. Their inherent feature of enabling naked-eye selective alterations, positions them as an efficient, onsite tool for monitoring contamination by E. coli and P. aeruginosa in clinical environments. Thus, these polymers open a new horizon for innovative, rapid, and low-cost strategies in microbial contamination control and patient safety.publishersversionpublishe