Emerging Links between Microbiome Composition and Skin Immunology in Diaper Dermatitis: A Narrative Review

Diaper dermatitis is a common type of irritant contact dermatitis occurring in infants and toddlers. Its occurrence is triggered by an unfavorable environment under the diaper, damage to skin integrity by fecal enzyme degradation, overhydration and disruption of the lipid bilayer structure facilitating the entry of irritants and microorganisms. In diaper dermatitis development, the central proinflammatory cytokines are IL-1α, IL-8 and TNF-α. The initial release of IL-1α and TNF-α starts a further cascade of pro-inflammatory chemo- and cytokines, resulting in inflammation and erythema of the skin. A recently recognized factor in diaper dermatitis is the composition of the skin microbiome; common pathogenic strains Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus are associated with skin irritation. The resulting impaired microbiome composition produces a local inflammatory response and may thus worsen the initial dermatitis clinical presentation and subsequent healing. Introduction of probiotics is an attractive treatment for microbiome modulation, which has shown success in other skin conditions in adults and children. Probiotics are thought to work as a protective shield against irritants, maintain low skin pH, secrete beneficial metabolites, and block pathogen invasion. There is preliminary evidence that certain probiotics given orally or topically could be used as a gentle intervention in diaper dermatitis.

Cyclic Dipeptides: The Biological and Structural Landscape with Special Focus on the Anti-Cancer Proline-Based Scaffold

Cyclic dipeptides, also know as diketopiperazines (DKP), the simplest cyclic forms of peptides widespread in nature, are unsurpassed in their structural and bio-functional diversity. DKPs, especially those containing proline, due to their unique features such as, inter alia, extra-rigid conformation, high resistance to enzyme degradation, increased cell permeability, and expandable ability to bind a diverse of targets with better affinity, have emerged in the last years as biologically pre-validated platforms for the drug discovery. Recent advances have revealed their enormous potential in the development of next-generation theranostics, smart delivery systems, and biomaterials. Here, we present an updated review on the biological and structural profile of these appealing biomolecules, with a particular emphasis on those with anticancer properties, since cancers are the main cause of death all over the world. Additionally, we provide a consideration on supramolecular structuring and synthons, based on the proline-based DKP privileged scaffold, for inspiration in the design of compound libraries in search of ideal ligands, innovative self-assembled nanomaterials, and bio-functional architectures.

Oral insulin delivery for treatment of diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by a condition known as hyperglycemia which may be controlled through medication and insulin. Current insulin therapy for diabetes mellitus involves frequent dosing of subcutaneous injections, causing local discomfort, patient incompliance, hypoglycemia, and hyperinsulinemia, among others, one of the approaches to overcoming these issues is to administer insulin through oral route. An oral form of insulin has been the elusive goal for many investigators since the protein initial discovery by Banting and Best in 1922. Oral delivery of insulin is one of the promising and anticipated areas in the treatment of diabetes, primarily because it may significantly improve the quality of life of patients who receives insulin regularly. However, there are several challenges in developing an oral route for insulin delivery; include low bioavailability due to rapid enzyme degradation in the stomach, inactivation, and digestion by proteolytic enzymes in the intestinal lumen, poor permeability, and poor stability. Several companies have developed technology platforms that protect polypeptides and proteins from enzymatic hydrolysis, enable their transport across the epithelial lining, and promote their absorption from the GI tract. Most notably, the use of permeation enhancers, protease inhibitors, enteric coatings, and polymer microsphere formulation will be covered, including commentary on which methods hold more promise towards the successful development of oral insulin. This review, considers the current literature on the advances, methods, needs, and challenges in the development of oral insulin.

Magnetic transfection with superparamagnetic chitosan-loaded IGFBP 5 nanoparticles and their in vitro biosafety

We prepared the superparamagnetic chitosan nanoparticles (SPCIONPs) to study the application of them as gene vectors using a magnetic transfection system for the targeted treatment of lung metastasis of osteosarcoma. The SPCIONPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, superconducting quantum interference device and atomic force microscopy. Their biosafety was determined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) and live–dead staining assays. The transfection in vitro was detected by laser confocal microscopy. SPCIONPs, which can bind closely to plasmids and protect them from DNA enzyme degradation, were prepared with an average particle size of approximately 22 nm and zeta potential of 11.3 mV. The results of the CCK8 and live–dead staining assays showed that superparamagnetic chitosan nanoparticles loaded with insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 5 (SPCIONPs/pIGFBP 5 ) induced no significant cytotoxicity compared to the control group. The result of transfection in vitro suggested that pIGFBP 5 emitted a greater amount of red fluorescence in the SPCIONPs/pIGFBP 5 group than that in the chitosan-loaded IGFBP 5 (CS/pIGFBP 5 ) group. In conclusion, the prepared SPCIONPs had good biosafety and could be effectively used to transfer pIGFBP 5 into 143B cells, and they thus have good application prospects for the treatment of lung metastasis of osteosarcoma.

Enzyme degradation mechanism of white rot fungi and its research progress on Refractory Wastewater

The lignin-degrading enzyme system of white rot fungi is highly efficient and non-specific, and can degrade a variety of pollutants, including dyes, phenolic compounds and pesticides.The article presents an overview of the mechanism of enzymatic degradation of white rot fungi and its research status in several refractory wastewater were described.

Aptamer-Tethered DNA Origami Amplifier for Sensitive and Accurate Imaging of Intracellular MicroRNAs

Accurate detection and imaging of low-abundant microRNAs (miRNAs) in living cells are essential for diagnosis and prognosis of diseases. Designing nanoprobes with resistance to enzyme degradation and effective cell-binding as...

Engineering of Doxorubicin-Encapsulating and TRAIL-Conjugated Poly(RGD) Proteinoid Nanocapsules for Drug Delivery Applications

Proteinoids are non-toxic biodegradable polymers prepared by thermal step-growth polymerization of amino acids. Here, P(RGD) proteinoids and proteinoid nanocapsules (NCs) based on D-arginine, glycine, and L-aspartic acid were synthesized and characterized for targeted tumor therapy. Doxorubicin (Dox), a chemotherapeutic drug used for treatment of a wide range of cancers, known for its adverse side effects, was encapsulated during self-assembly to form Dox/P(RGD) NCs. In addition, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), which can initiate apoptosis in most tumor cells but undergoes fast enzyme degradation, was stabilized by covalent conjugation to hollow P(RGD) NCs. The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) conjugation was also studied. Cytotoxicity tests on CAOV-3 ovarian cancer cells demonstrated that Dox/P(RGD) and TRAIL-P(RGD) NCs were as effective as free Dox and TRAIL with cell viability of 2% and 10%, respectively, while PEGylated NCs were less effective. Drug-bearing P(RGD) NCs offer controlled release with reduced side effects for improved therapy.

Isolation, characterization, and antimicrobial activity of Actinomycetes isolated from garden soil

Five different strains of Actinomycetes were isolated from rhizosphere soil sample taken from Tulsi gardens of Kayathar, Tuticorin District. Heat treated Tulsi growing rhizosphere soil samples (Kayathar, Tuticorin District) were subjected to serial dilution and plated on starch casein medium, incubated at 37 °C for 7 - 14 days. The isolated strains were subjected to morphological, biochemical and cultural characterisation to study their spore morphology, asexual reproductive spores, substrate mycelial growth and enzyme degradation. Tests were performed as per International Streptomyces Project (ISP). Morphological and cultural characteristics showed that the strains AJ1, AJ2, AJ3, AJ4 and AJ5 belonged to the genus Actinomycete. The cultures showed substrate and aerial mycelial growth and also soluble pigments. Based on their morphology the isolates were subjected to antimicrobial activity against pathogens. Antimicrobial activity was performed against seven clinical isolates. AJ1 was found to show maximum activity against Klebsiella, S.typhi and Enterobacter whereas AJ5 was found to show inhibitory activity against Klebsiella.

The study of dry biological valve crosslinked with a combination of carbodiimide and polyphenol

The glutaraldehyde crosslinked pericardium has been used in bioprosthetic valves for about 50 years. However, problems such as glutaraldehyde residue and calcification still exist in current commercial products. Non-glutaraldehyde crosslinked dry valve is an important strategy to solve those problems. In this study, a non-glutaraldehyde crosslinked dry biological valve material was obtained by the combined crosslinking of carbodiimide (EDC) and polyphenol. The results showed that the comprehensive properties of EDC and curcumin crosslinked pericardium were superior to glutaraldehyde crosslinked pericardium, including unfolding property, anti-calcification, cytotoxicity, anticoagulant properties, mechanical properties, enzyme degradation resistance and thermal shrinkage temperature. EDC and curcumin crosslinked dry pericardium could flatten after being folded at 40°C for 3 days while glutaraldehyde crosslinked pericardium could not. The calcification of pericardium treated with EDC and curcumin was 1.21 ± 0.36 mg/g in rats after 60 days’ subdermal implantation, much lower than that of glutaraldehyde treated control group (22.06 ± 3.17 mg/g).