Insect antimicrobial peptides: potential weapons to counteract the antibiotic resistance

Misuse and overuse of antibiotics have contributed in the last decades to a phenomenon known as antibiotic resistance which is currently considered one of the principal threats to global public health by the World Health Organization. The aim to find alternative drugs has been demonstrated as a real challenge. Thanks to their biodiversity, insects represent the largest class of organisms in the animal kingdom. The humoral immune response includes the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are released into the insect hemolymph after microbial infection. In this review, we have focused on insect immune responses, particularly on AMP characteristics, their mechanism of action and applications, especially in the biomedical field. Furthermore, we discuss the Toll, Imd, and JAK-STAT pathways that activate genes encoding for the expression of AMPs. Moreover, we focused on strategies to improve insect peptides stability against proteolytic susceptibility such as D-amino acid substitutions, N-terminus modification, cyclization and dimerization

Insect antimicrobial peptides: potential weapons to counteract the antibiotic resistance

Misuse and overuse of antibiotics have contributed in the last decades to a phenomenon known as antibiotic resistance which is currently considered one of the principal threats to global public health by the World Health Organization. The aim to find alternative drugs has been demonstrated as a real challenge. Thanks to their biodiversity, insects represent the largest class of organisms in the animal kingdom. The humoral immune response includes the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are released into the insect hemolymph after microbial infection. In this review, we have focused on insect immune responses, particularly on AMP characteristics, their mechanism of action and applications, especially in the biomedical field. Furthermore, we discuss the Toll, Imd, and JAK-STAT pathways that activate genes encoding for the expression of AMPs. Moreover, we focused on strategies to improve insect peptides stability against proteolytic susceptibility such as D-amino acid substitutions, N-terminus modification, cyclization and dimerization

A bioinformatic study of antimicrobial peptides identified in the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play a key role in the innate immunity, the first line of defense against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. AMPs are small molecules, ranging from 10 to 100 amino acid residues produced by all living organisms. Because of their wide biodiversity, insects are among the richest and most innovative sources for AMPs. In particular, the insect Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) shows an extraordinary ability to live in hostile environments, as it feeds on decaying substrates, which are rich in microbial colonies, and is one of the most promising sources for AMPs. The larvae and the combined adult male and female H. illucens transcriptomes were examined, and all the sequences, putatively encoding AMPs, were analysed with different machine learning-algorithms, such as the Support Vector Machine, the Discriminant Analysis, the Artificial Neural Network, and the Random Forest available on the CAMP database, in order to predict their antimicrobial activity. Moreover, the iACP tool, the AVPpred, and the Antifp servers were used to predict the anticancer, the antiviral, and the antifungal activities, respectively. The related physicochemical properties were evaluated with the Antimicrobial Peptide Database Calculator and Predictor. These analyses allowed to identify 57 putatively active peptides suitable for subsequent experimental validation studies

High performance wearable ultrasound as a human-machine interface for wrist and hand kinematic tracking

Objective: Non-invasive human machine interfaces (HMIs) have high potential in medical, entertainment, and industrial applications. Traditionally, surface electromyography (sEMG) has been used to track muscular activity and infer motor intention. Ultrasound (US) has received increasing attention as an alternative to sEMG-based HMIs. Here, we developed a portable US armband system with 24 channels and a multiple receiver approach, and compared it with existing sEMG- and US-based HMIs on movement intention decoding. Methods: US and motion capture data was recorded while participants performed wrist and hand movements of four degrees of freedom (DoFs) and their combinations. A linear regression model was used to offline predict hand kinematics from the US (or sEMG, for comparison) features. The method was further validated in real-time for a 3-DoF target reaching task. Results: In the offline analysis, the wearable US system achieved an average R2 of 0.94 in the prediction of four DoFs of the wrist and hand while sEMG reached a performance of R2=0.06 . In online control, the participants achieved an average 93% completion rate of the targets. Conclusion: When tailored for HMIs, the proposed US A-mode system and processing pipeline can successfully regress hand kinematics both in offline and online settings with performances comparable or superior to previously published interfaces. Significance: Wearable US technology may provide a new generation of HMIs that use muscular deformation to estimate limb movements. The wearable US system allowed for robust proportional and simultaneous control over multiple DoFs in both offline and online settings

Advances in Azorella glabra Wedd. Extract research: In vitro antioxidant activity, antiproliferative effects on acute myeloid leukemia cells and bioactive compound characterization

Azorella glabra Wedd. (AG) is traditionally used to treat gonorrhea or kidney's problems. The antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticholinesterase and in vitro antitumor activities of AG extracts were recently reported. The aim of this work was to investigate anti-leukemic properties of AG chloroform fraction (AG CHCl3) and of its ten sub-fractions (I-X) and to identify their possible bioactive compounds. We determined their in vitro antioxidant activity using 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anion (SO) assays, and their phytochemical profile by spectrophotometric and LC-MS/MS techniques. I-X action on two acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines viability, apoptosis and cell cycle were evaluated by MTS, western blotting and cytofluorimetric assays. Different polyphenol, flavonoid and terpenoid amount, and antioxidant activity were found among all samples. Most of I-X induced a dose/time dependent reduction of cell viability higher than parent extract. IV and VI sub-fractions showed highest cytotoxic activity and, of note, a negligible reduction of healthy cell viability. They activated intrinsic apoptotic pathway, induced a G0/G1 block in leukemic cells and, interestingly, led to apoptosis in patient AML cells. These activities could be due to mulinic acid or azorellane terpenoids and their derivatives, tentatively identified in both IV and VI. In conclusion, our data suggest AG plant as a source of potential anti-AML agents

Two novel precursors of the hiv-1 protease inhibitor darunavir target the UPR/proteasome system in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2

Background: Several pre-clinical and clinical reports suggest that HIV-1 protease inhibitors, in addition to the antiretroviral properties, possess pleiotropic pharmacological effects including anti-cancer action. Therefore, we investigated the pro-apoptotic activity in tumor cells of two molecules, RDD-19 and RDD-142, which are hydroxyethylamine derivatives’ precursors of darunavir and several HIV-1 protease inhibitors. Methods: Three hepatoma cell lines and one non-pathological cell line were treated with RDD-19 and RDD-142, and cell viability was assessed. The expression levels of several markers for ER stress, autophagy, cellular ubiquitination, and Akt activation were quantified in HepG2 cells treated with RDD-19 and RDD-142 to evaluate apoptotic and non-apoptotic cell death. Results: RDD-19 and RDD-142 showed a greater dose-dependent cytotoxicity towards the hepatic tumor cell line HepG2 compared to the non-pathological hepatic cell line IHH. Both molecules caused two types of cell death, a caspase-dependent apoptosis, which was ascertained by a series of biochemical and morphological assays, and a caspase-independent death that was characterized by the induction of ER stress and autophagy. The strong increase of ubiquitinated proteins inside the cells suggested that the target of these molecules could be the proteasome and in silico molecular docking analysis that was used to support the plausibility of this hypothesis. Furthermore, cells treated with the two compounds displayed decreased levels of p-AKT, which interferes with cell survival and proliferation. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that two compounds, RDD-19 and RDD-142, have pleiotropic effects and that they may represent promising anticancer candidates

Neural correlates of sexual cue reactivity in individuals with and without compulsive sexual behaviours

Although compulsive sexual behaviour (CSB) has been conceptualized as a "behavioural" addiction and common or overlapping neural circuits may govern the processing of natural and drug rewards, little is known regarding the responses to sexually explicit materials in individuals with and without CSB. Here, the processing of cues of varying sexual content was assessed in individuals with and without CSB, focusing on neural regions identified in prior studies of drug-cue reactivity. 19 CSB subjects and 19 healthy volunteers were assessed using functional MRI comparing sexually explicit videos with non-sexual exciting videos. Ratings of sexual desire and liking were obtained. Relative to healthy volunteers, CSB subjects had greater desire but similar liking scores in response to the sexually explicit videos. Exposure to sexually explicit cues in CSB compared to non-CSB subjects was associated with activation of the dorsal anterior cingulate, ventral striatum and amygdala. Functional connectivity of the dorsal anterior cingulate-ventral striatum-amygdala network was associated with subjective sexual desire (but not liking) to a greater degree in CSB relative to non-CSB subjects. The dissociation between desire or wanting and liking is consistent with theories of incentive motivation underlying CSB as in drug addictions. Neural differences in the processing of sexual-cue reactivity were identified in CSB subjects in regions previously implicated in drug-cue reactivity studies. The greater engagement of corticostriatal limbic circuitry in CSB following exposure to sexual cues suggests neural mechanisms underlying CSB and potential biological targets for interventions

CIRCULATING PLACENTAL VESCICLES CARRY HLA-DR IN PRE - ECLAMPSIA : A NEW POTENTIAL MARKER OF THE SYNDROME

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a common disorder of pregnancy that usually presents with hypertension and proteinuria. The clinical presentation arises from soluble factors released into the maternal circulation from the placenta owing to the stress of syncytiotrophoblast, consequence of defective placentation occurring in the first half of pregnancy. Reduced tolerance of the semiallogeneic fetus by the maternal immune system has been proposed as first trigger leading to poor placentation. We previously observed aberrant expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR molecules in the syncytiotrophoblast of a subset of women with PE. Aim of this study was to investigate abnormal expression of circulating HLA-DR in syncytiotrophoblast-derived extracellular vesicles (STBEVs) in women with PE compared to normal pregnant women

IFN-\u3b3 and other serum cytokines in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Altered immune responses have been reported in head and neck cancer, and some of these responses have been associated with poor clinical outcomes. A multiple-array technology platform was used to simultaneously evaluate the levels of 25 cytokines. Pre-treatment serum levels were evaluated in 31 HNSCC patients and 6 healthy controls. The levels of 8 cytokines, specifically IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, IFN-\u3b3 and IP-10, were significantly higher in patients than in controls. Among cancer patients we observed lower levels of IFN-\u3b3 and IL-7 in cases with nodal metastases compared to those with cN0 disease. We observed increases in the levels of some serum cytokines in HNSCC patients, as well as reductions in selected cytokines associated with regional progression. These findings provide an intriguing perspective on the development and validation of novel markers for follow-up evaluations and predictions of regional spreading in HNSCC patients