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Search results for: antifungal
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Isolation of the GFA1 gene encoding glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase of Sporothrix schenckii and its expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
PublicationGlucosamine-6-phosphate synthase (GlcN-6-P synthase) is an essential enzyme involved in cell wall biogenesis that has been proposed as a strategic target for antifungal chemotherapy. Here we describe the cloning and functional characterization of Sporothrix schenckii GFA1 gene which was isolated from a genomic library of the fungus. The gene encodes a predicted protein of 708 amino acids that is homologous to GlcN-6-P synthases...
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Influence of a lipid bilayer on the conformational behavior of amphotericin B derivatives - A molecular dynamics study.
PublicationAmphotericin B (AmB) is an effective but very toxic antifungal antibiotic. In our laboratory a series of AmB derivatives of improved selectivity of action was synthesized and tested. To understand molecular basis of this improvement, comparative conformational studies of amphotericin B and its two more selectivederivatives were carried out in an aqueous solution and in a lipid membrane. These molecular simulation studies revealed...
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New Analogues of Mycophenolic Acid
PublicationMycophenolic acid (MPA) possesses antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, immunosuppressive and anticancer properties. It is a non-competitive and reversible inhibitor of dehydrogenase inosine-5'-monophosphate (IMPDH). This compound belongs to the immunosuppressive drugs used for the prevention of both acute and chronic transplant rejection. Until now, two derivatives of MPA have been used clinically: mycophenolate mofetil (MMF,...
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The Effect of Sterols on Amphotericin B Self-Aggregation in a Lipid Bilayer as Revealed by Free Energy Simulations
PublicationAmphotericin B (AmB) is an effective but toxic antifungal drug, known to increase the permeability of the cell membrane, presumably by assembling into transmembrane pores in a sterol-dependent manner. The aggregation of AmB molecules in a phospholipid bilayer is, thus, crucial for the drug’s activity. To provide an insight into the molecular nature of this process, here, we report an atomistic molecular dynamics simulation study...
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Composition and antimicrobial activity of fatty acids detected in the hygroscopic secretion collected from the secretory setae of larvae of the biting midge Forcipomyia nigra (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)
PublicationThe hygroscopic secretion produced by the secretory setae of terrestrial larvae of the biting midge Forcipomyia nigra (Winnertz) was analysed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The viscous secretion is stored at the top of each seta and absorbs water from moist air. GC-MS analyses (four independent tests) showed that the secretion contained 12 free fatty acids, the most abundant of which were oleic...
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Engineering Candida albicans glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase for efficient enzyme purification
PublicationRationally designed muteins of Candida albicans glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase, an enzyme known as a promising target for antifungal chemotherapy, were constructed, overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified to near homogeneity. To facilitate and to optimize the purification of the enzyme, three recombinant versionscontaining internal oligoHis fragments were constructed: (i) by substituting residues 343 - 348...
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Hydrazinolysis Products of Selected Sugar Lactones—Crystal Structure and Microbiological Activity
PublicationCommercially available lactones, as well as those synthesized by us, turned out to be good substrates for the synthesis of sugar hydrazides. The exception was L-ascorbic acid, whose hydrazinolysis led to the formation of a hydrazinium salt, not the hydrazide as expected. The structure of all compounds was confirmed by NMR and X-ray analyses. The lower durability of hydrazinium L-ascorbate was additionally confirmed by thermogravimetric...
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The Chitosan-Based System with Scutellariae baicalensis radix Extract for the Local Treatment of Vaginal Infections
PublicationScutellarie baicalensis radix, as a flavone-rich source, exhibits antibacterial, antifungal, an-tioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity. It may be used as a therapeutic agent to treat various
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Potential applications of by-products from the coffee industry in polymer technology – Current state and perspectives
PublicationCoffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, and its popularity is continuously growing, which can be expressed by almost doubling production over the last three decades. Cultivation, processing, roasting, and brewing coffee are known for many years. These processes generate significant amounts of by-products since coffee bean stands for around 50% of the coffee cherry. Therefore, considering the current pro-ecological...
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Evaluation of antimicrobial activities of powdered cuttlebone against Klebsiella oxytoca, Staphylococcus aureus, and Aspergillus flavus
PublicationBackground: The presence of medicines in the environment is considered as a serious threat to the human health. The entrance of these substances into the water sources causes soil pollution, which eventually leads to the environmental pollution and it creates some problems for the public health. Also, increasing antibiotic resistant bacteria has attracted the attention of researchers to the use of natural resources such as marine...
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Antibiotic-sterol interactions provide insight into the selectivity of natural aromatic analogues of amphotericin B and their photoisomers
PublicationAromatic heptaene macrolides (AHMs) belong to the group of polyene macrolide antifungal antibiotics. Members of this group were the first to be used in the treatment of systemic fungal infections. Amphotericin B (AmB), a non-aromatic representative of heptaene macrolides, is of significant clinical importance in the treatment of internal mycoses. It includes the all-trans heptaene chromophore, whereas the native AHMs contain two...
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Evaluation of possibilities in identification and susceptibility testing for Candida glabrata clinical isolates with the Integral System Yeast Plus (ISYP)
PublicationThe aim of this study was to evaluate possibilities of correct identification and susceptibility testing of C. glabrata clinical isolates with Integral System Yeast Plus (ISYP). For species identification, as the reference method, API Candida test and species-specific PCR reactions were used. The potential of antifungal susceptibility testing by the ISYP test was compared with the Sensititre Yeast One. Whilst the reference methods...
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Optimizing Ni–Cr patterned boron-doped diamond band electrodes: Doping effects on electrochemical efficiency and posaconazole sensing performance
PublicationThere is growing interest in developing diamond electrodes with defined geometries such as, for example, micrometer-sized electrode arrays to acquire signals for electroanalysis. For electroanalytical sensing applications, it is essential to achieve precise conductive patterns on the insulating surface. This work provides a novel approach to boron-doped diamond patterning using nichrome masking for selective seeding on an oxidized...
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Diagnostic PCR assay for Microsporum and Trichophyton infections
PublicationWe have previously described a highly sensitive 5-hour PCR test for the rapid diagnosis of onychomycosis which detects any dermatophyte and species-identify T. rubrum from patient specimens. We have subsequently developed and evaluated new PCR tests for detection of Trichophyton and Microsporum canis/audouinii infections.58 dermatophyte isolates (21) Microsporum spp. (4 different species), 35 Trichophyton spp (10 different species)...
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Quality control of cheese samples for the presence of natamycin preservative – A natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) based extraction coupled with HPLC
PublicationA new protocol for the determination of natamycin – an antifungal agent used as a food preservative - in cheese samples – is described. This new method is based on a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) green extraction procedure. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for detection and quantification. NADESs with different molar ratios were evaluated for efficient and selective extraction. NADES made of thymol...
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Phenotypic consequences of the LYS4 gene disruption in Candida albicans
PublicationThe main scientific purpose of our studies was to verify the hypothesis that homoaconitase (HA) from Candida albicans, an enzyme catalyzing a second step of the α-aminoadipate pathway (AAP) of L-Lys biosynthesis may become a new target for antifungal chemotherapy. Previous studies indicated that the A. fumigatus mutant lacking the functional lysF gene, encoding HA, exhibited attenuated virulence in a low-dose mouse infection model...
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Essential Oils, Silver Nanoparticles and Propolis as Alternative Agents Against Fluconazole Resistant Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Candida krusei Clinical Isolates
PublicationDevelopment of effective and safe therapeutic treatment of fungal infections remains one of the major challenge for modern medicine. The aim of presented investigation was to analyze the in vitro antifungal activity of selected essential oils, ethanolic extracts of propolis and silver nanoparticles dropped on TiO2 against azole-resistant C. albicans (n = 20), C. glabrata (n = 14) and C. krusei (n = 10) clinical isolates. Among...
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Long range molecular dynamics study of regulation of eukaryotic glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase activity by UDP-GlcNAc
PublicationGlucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6-P) synthase catalyses the first and practically irreversible step in hexosamine metabolism. The final product of this pathway, uridine 5' diphospho N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (UDPGlcNAc), is an essential substrate for assembly of bacterialand fungal cell walls. Moreover, the enzyme is involved in phenomenon of hexosamine induced insulin resistance in type II diabetes, which makes it a potential target...
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Glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase with an oligoHis insert
PublicationGlucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6-P) synthase known also as L-Glutamine: D-fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.16), catalyzes the first committed step in the amino sugar biosynthetic pathway in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. The final product of this pathway is an activated precursor of numerous macromolecules containing amino sugars, including chitin and mannproteins in fungi, peptydoglican and lipopolysaccharides...
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Characterization of two aminotransferases from Candida albicans
PublicationAminoadipate aminotransferase (AmAA) is an enzyme of α-aminoadipate pathway (AAP) for l-lysine biosynthesis. AmAA may also participated in biosynthesis or degradation of aromatic amino acids and in d-tryptophan based pigment production. The AAP is unique for fungal microorganisms. Enzymes involved in this pathway have specific structures and properties. These features can be used as potential molecular markers. Enzymes catalyzing...
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Desensitization of glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase to inhibition by UDP-GlcNAc
PublicationGlucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN-6-P) synthase, known also as L-Glutamine: D-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase, catalyzes the first committed step in the pathway leading to the ultimate formation of UDP-GlcNAc. The final product of this pathway is an activated precursor of numerous macromolecules containing amino sugars, including chitin and mannproteins in fungi, peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharides in bacteria, and glycoproteins...
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Membrane Sterols Modulate the Binding Mode of Amphotericin B without Affecting Its Affinity for a Lipid Bilayer
PublicationMembrane-active antibiotics are known to selectively target certain pathogens based on cell membrane properties, such as fluidity, lipid ordering, and phase behavior. These are in turn modulated by the composition of a lipid bilayer and in particular by the presence and type of membrane sterols. Amphotericin B (AmB), the golden standard of antifungal treatment, exhibits higher activity toward ergosterol-rich fungal membranes, which...
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Indole-Acrylonitrile Derivatives as Potential Antitumor and Antimicrobial Agents—Synthesis, In Vitro and In Silico Studies
PublicationA series of 2-(1H-indol-2-yl)-3-acrylonitrile derivatives, 2a–x, 3, 4a–b, 5a–d, 6a–b, and 7, were synthesized as potential antitumor and antimicrobial agents. The structures of the prepared compounds were evaluated based on elemental analysis, IR, 1H- and 13NMR, as well as MS spectra. X-ray crystal analysis of the representative 2-(1H-indol-2-yl)-3-acrylonitrile 2l showed that the acrylonitrile double bond was Z-configured. All...
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Development of biocompatible iron oxide-silicon oxide core-shell nanoparticles as subcellular delivery platform for glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase inhibitors
PublicationIn order to develop the preparation of iron oxide-silica coreshell nanoparticles (CSNPs), thesis deeply explores the cetyltrimethylammonium (CTA+) directed silica coating methods of the oleic-acid capped iron oxide nanoparticles (OA-IONPs) initialized under near-neutral pH conditions. It is demonstrated that the initial alkaline hydrolysis of ethyl acetate in the presence of CTA+ and OA-IONPs induces an unusual ligand exchange...
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Development of Biocompatible Fe3O4@SiO2 Nanoparticles as Subcellular Delivery Platform for Glucosamine-6-phosphate Synthase Inhibitors
PublicationNumerous inhibitors of glucoseamine-6-phophate synthase (GlcN-6-P), the enzyme responsible from catalysis of the first step of metabolic pathway leading to metabolism 5’-diphospho-N-acetyl-D- glucosamine, were reported as effective agents for inhibiting the growth of various fungal pathogens. Among the reported inhibitors,...