scholarly journals New Perspectives in the Antimicrobial Activity of the Amphibian Temporin B: Peptide Analogs Are Effective Inhibitors of Candida albicans Growth

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 457
Author(s):  
Anant Kakar ◽  
Jeanett Holzknecht ◽  
Sandrine Dubrac ◽  
Maria Luisa Gelmi ◽  
Alessandra Romanelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
Human Keratinocytes ◽  
In Vitro Cytotoxicity ◽  
Primary Human Keratinocytes ◽  
Exciting Field ◽  
Peptide Analogs ◽  
Frog Rana Temporaria ◽  
Proteolytic Stability

Temporin B (TB) is a short, positively charged peptide secreted by the granular glands of the European frog Rana temporaria. While the antibacterial and antiviral efficacy of TB and some of its improved analogs are well documented, nothing is known about their antifungal potency so far. We dedicated this study to characterize the antifungal potential of the TB analog TB_KKG6K and the newly designed D-Lys_TB_KKG6K, the latter having the L-lysines replaced by the chiral counterpart D-lysines to improve its proteolytic stability. Both peptides inhibited the growth of opportunistic human pathogenic yeasts and killed planktonic and sessile cells of the most prevalent human pathogen, Candida albicans. The anti-yeast efficacy of the peptides coincided with the induction of intracellular reactive oxygen species. Their thermal, cation, pH and serum tolerance were similar, while the proteolytic stability of D-Lys_TB_KKG6K was superior to that of its template peptide. Importantly, both peptides lacked hemolytic activity and showed minimal in vitro cytotoxicity in primary human keratinocytes. The tolerance of both peptides in a reconstructed human epidermis model further supports their potential for topical application. Our results open up an exciting field of research for new anti-Candida therapeutic options based on amphibian TB analogs.

scholarly journals Dexamethasone-Loaded Lipomers: Development, Characterization, and Skin Biodistribution Studies

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 533
Author(s):  
Eloy Pena-Rodríguez ◽  
Maria Lajarin-Reinares ◽  
Aida Mata-Ventosa ◽  
Sandra Pérez-Torras ◽  
Francisco Fernández-Campos
Keyword(s):  
In Vitro Release ◽  
Human Keratinocytes ◽  
Topical Administration ◽  
In Vitro Cytotoxicity ◽  
Hair Follicles ◽  
Vertical Diffusion ◽  
Biodistribution Studies ◽  
Follicular Targeting ◽  
Depot Effect

Follicular targeting has gained more attention in recent decades, due to the possibility of obtaining a depot effect in topical administration and its potential as a tool to treat hair follicle-related diseases. Lipid core ethyl cellulose lipomers were developed and optimized, following which characterization of their physicochemical properties was carried out. Dexamethasone was encapsulated in the lipomers (size, 115 nm; polydispersity, 0.24; zeta-potential (Z-potential), +30 mV) and their in vitro release profiles against dexamethasone in solution were investigated by vertical diffusion Franz cells. The skin biodistribution of the fluorescent-loaded lipomers was observed using confocal microscopy, demonstrating the accumulation of both lipomers and fluorochromes in the hair follicles of pig skin. To confirm this fact, immunofluorescence of the dexamethasone-loaded lipomers was carried out in pig hair follicles. The anti-inflammatory (via TNFα) efficacy of the dexamethasone-loaded lipomers was demonstrated in vitro in an HEK001 human keratinocytes cell culture and the in vitro cytotoxicity of the nanoformulation was investigated.

Control of glycolysis in vertebrate skeletal muscle during exercise

1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (4) ◽  
pp. R821-R829 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Krause ◽  
G. Wegener
Keyword(s):  
Gastrocnemius Muscle ◽  
Rana Temporaria ◽  
High Capacity ◽  
Repeated Exercise ◽  
Frog Rana Temporaria ◽  
Time Courses ◽  
Fructose 1,6 Bisphosphate ◽  
Assay Conditions

The gastrocnemius muscle of the frog (Rana temporaria) has a high capacity for anaerobic glycolysis from glycogen. Glycolytic metabolites and effectors of phosphofructokinase, particularly the hexose bisphosphates, were followed in muscle during exercise (swimming between 5 s and 5 min), recovery (rest for up to 2 h after 5 min of swimming), and repeated exercise (swimming for up to 60 s after 2 h of recovery). Glycogen phosphorylase and phosphofructokinase were swiftly activated with exercise. The hexose bisphosphates followed markedly different time courses. Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate was transiently increased in both exercise and repeated exercise. This appears to be an effect rather than a cause of phosphofructokinase activation. Glucose 1,6-biphosphate was accumulated only while phosphofructokinase was active and was unchanged at other times. Fructose 2,6-biphosphate showed a 10-fold transient increase on exercise in rested frogs, almost disappeared from the muscle during recovery, and did not change during repeated exercise. Fructose 2,6-biphosphate is a potent activator of phosphofructokinase in vitro under near physiological assay conditions, and it may serve this function also in vivo during exercise. Glucose 1,6-biphosphate could be an activator of phosphofructokinase in repeated exercise when fructose 2,6-biphosphate is not available.

scholarly journals HaCaT Cells as a Reliable In Vitro Differentiation Model to Dissect the Inflammatory/Repair Response of Human Keratinocytes

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irma Colombo ◽  
Enrico Sangiovanni ◽  
Roberta Maggio ◽  
Carlo Mattozzi ◽  
Stefania Zava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Density ◽  
Skin Diseases ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Human Keratinocytes ◽  
Suitable Model ◽  
Hacat Cells ◽  
Primary Human Keratinocytes ◽  
Proinflammatory Mediators ◽  
Cytokines And Chemokines

Cultured primary human keratinocytes are frequently employed for studies of immunological and inflammatory responses; however, interpretation of experimental data may be complicated by donor to donor variability, the relatively short culture lifetime, and variations between passages. To standardize the in vitro studies on keratinocytes, we investigated the use of HaCaT cells, a long-lived, spontaneously immortalized human keratinocyte line which is able to differentiate in vitro, as a suitable model to follow the release of inflammatory and repair mediators in response to TNFα or IL-1β. Different treatment conditions (presence or absence of serum) and differentiation stimuli (increase in cell density as a function of time in culture and elevation of extracellular calcium) were considered. ELISA and Multiplex measurement technologies were used to monitor the production of cytokines and chemokines. Taken together, the results highlight that Ca2+ concentration in the medium, cell density, and presence of serum influences at different levels the release of proinflammatory mediators by HaCaT cells. Moreover, HaCaT cells maintained in low Ca2+ medium and 80% confluent are similar to normal keratinocytes in terms of cytokine production suggesting that HaCaT cells may be a useful model to investigate anti-inflammatory interventions/therapies on skin diseases.

scholarly journals Anti-Candidal Activity and In Vitro Cytotoxicity Assessment of Graphene Nanoplatelets Decorated with Zinc Oxide Nanorods

Nanomaterials ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graziella Ficociello ◽  
Maria De Caris ◽  
Giusy Trillò ◽  
Domenico Cavallini ◽  
Maria Sarto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Zinc Oxide ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
In Vitro Cytotoxicity ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Zinc Oxide Nanorods ◽  
Aggregation State ◽  
Oxide Nanorods ◽  
Biofilm Development

Candida albicans is the most common pathogenic fungus that is isolated in nosocomial infections in medically and immune-compromised patients. The ability of C. albicans to convert its form from yeast to hyphal morphology contributes to biofilm development that effectively shelters Candida against the action of antifungals molecules. In the last years, nanocomposites are the most promising solutions against drug-resistant microorganisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal activity of graphene nanoplateles decorated with zinc oxide nanorods (ZNGs) against the human pathogen Candida albicans. We observed that ZNGs were able to induce a significant mortality in fungal cells, as well as to affect the main virulence factors of this fungus or rather the hyphal development and biofilm formation. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) formation in yeast cells resulted one of the mechanisms of ZNGs to induce mortality. Finally, the toxicity of this nanomaterial was tested also on human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT. Our data indicated that ZNGs resulted not toxic when their aggregation state decreased by adding glycerol as emulsifier to ZNGs suspensions or when HaCaT cells were grown on ZNGs-coated glasses. Overall, the results that were obtained indicated that ZNGs could be exploited as an antifungal nanomaterial with a high degree of biocompatibility on human cells.

In vitro cytotoxicity of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots with different surface coatings to human keratinocytes HaCaT cells

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavitha Pathakoti ◽  
Huey-Min Hwang ◽  
Hong Xu ◽  
Zoraida P. Aguilar ◽  
Andrew Wang
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Dots ◽  
Human Keratinocytes ◽  
In Vitro Cytotoxicity ◽  
Surface Coatings ◽  
Hacat Cells

scholarly journals Inhibition of Calcineurin/NFAT Signaling Blocks Oncogenic H-Ras Induced Autophagy in Primary Human Keratinocytes

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuangshuang Wang ◽  
Hua Qian ◽  
Liwei Zhang ◽  
Panpan Liu ◽  
Dexuan Zhuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Translocation ◽  
Human Keratinocytes ◽  
Primary Human Keratinocytes ◽  
Activated T Cells ◽  
Ras Pathway ◽  
Ras Family ◽  
Interfering Rna

Mutations of H-Ras, a member of the RAS family, are preferentially found in cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). H-Ras has been reported to induce autophagy, which plays an essential role in tissue homeostasis in multiple types of cancer cells and in fibroblasts, however, the potential role of H-Ras in regulating autophagy in human keratinocytes has not been reported. In this study, we found that the stable expression of the G12V mutant of H-RAS (H-RasG12V) induced autophagy in human keratinocytes, and interestingly, the induction of autophagy was strongly blocked by inhibiting the calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) pathway with either a calcineurin inhibitor (Cyclosporin A) or a NFAT inhibitor (VIVIT), or by the small interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated knockdown of calcineurin B1 or NFATc1 in vitro, as well as in vivo. To characterize the role of the calcineurin/NFAT pathway in H-Ras induced autophagy, we found that H-RasG12V promoted the nuclear translocation of NFATc1, an indication of the activation of the calcineurin/NFAT pathway, in human keratinocytes. However, activation of NFATc1 either by the forced expression of NFATc1 or by treatment with phenformin, an AMPK activator, did not increase the formation of autophagy in human keratinocytes. Further study revealed that inhibiting the calcineurin/NFAT pathway actually suppressed H-Ras expression in H-RasG12V overexpressing cells. Finally, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays showed that NFATc1 potentially binds the promoter region of H-Ras and the binding efficiency was significantly enhanced by the overexpression of H-RasG12V, which was abolished by treatment with the calcineurin/NFAT pathway inhibitors cyclosporine A (CsA) or VIVIT. Taking these data together, the present study demonstrates that the calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway controls H-Ras expression and interacts with the H-Ras pathway, involving the regulation of H-Ras induced autophagy in human keratinocytes.

scholarly journals A protein phosphatase network controls the temporal and spatial dynamics of differentiation commitment in human epidermis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajay Mishra ◽  
Angela Oliveira Pisco ◽  
Benedicte Oules ◽  
Tony Ly ◽  
Kifayathullah Liakath-Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Terminal Differentiation ◽  
Human Keratinocytes ◽  
Cell Renewal ◽  
Stable States ◽  
Primary Human Keratinocytes ◽  
Network Modelling ◽  
Epidermal Homeostasis

AbstractEpidermal homeostasis depends on a balance between stem cell renewal and terminal differentiation1,2. While progress has been made in characterising the stem and differentiated cell compartments3, the transition between the two cell states, termed commitment4, is poorly understood. Here we characterise commitment by integrating transcriptomic and proteomic data from disaggregated primary human keratinocytes held in suspension for up to 12h. We have previously shown that commitment begins at approximately 4h and differentiation is initiated by 8h5. We find that cell detachment induces a network of protein phosphatases. The pro-commitment phosphatases – including DUSP6, PPTC7, PTPN1, PTPN13 and PPP3CA – promote terminal differentiation by negatively regulating ERK MAPK and positively regulating key API transcription factors. Their activity is antagonised by concomitant upregulation of the anti-commitment phosphatase DUSP10. The phosphatases form a dynamic network of transient positive and negative interactions, with DUSP6 predominating at commitment. Boolean network modelling identifies a mandatory switch between two stable states (stem cell and differentiated cell) via an unstable (committed) state. In addition phosphatase expression is spatially regulated relative to the location of stem cells, both in vivo and in response to topographical cues in vitro. We conclude that an auto-regulatory phosphatase network maintains epidermal homeostasis by controlling the onset and duration of commitment.

scholarly journals Increased In Vitro Lifespan of Primary Human Keratinocytes Correlates with Decreased Migration

2006 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 1179-1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Hasskarl ◽  
Palanivel Velupillai ◽  
Karl Münger
Keyword(s):  
Human Keratinocytes ◽  
Primary Human Keratinocytes
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document