A review on the antimicrobial properties of lectins Fonseca, Victor Juno Alencar; Braga, Ana Lays; Filho, Jaime Ribeiro ...
International journal of biological macromolecules,
01/2022, Letnik:
195
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Lectins are biologically versatile biomolecules with remarkable antimicrobial effects, notably against bacteria, fungi and protozoa, in addition to modulating host immunity. For this, the lectins ...bind to carbohydrates on the surface of the pathogen, which can cause damage to the cell wall and prevent the attachment of microorganisms to host cells. Thus, this study intends to review the biological activities of lectins, with an emphasis on antimicrobial activity. Lectins of plant stood out for its antimicrobial effects, demonstrating that they act against a variety of strains, where in vitro were able to inhibit their development and affect their morphology. In vivo, they modulated host immunity, signaling and activating defense cells. Some of these lectins were capable to modulate the action of antibiotics, indicating their potential to minimize the antibiotic resistance. The results suggest that lectins have antimicrobial activity with potential to be used in drug development.
Lectins participate in the defense against microorganisms and in signaling the damage caused by pathogens to the cell surface and/or intracellular in plants. This study aims to analyze the antifungal ...potential of lectins extracted from seeds of
Canavalia ensiformis
(L.) DC and
Canavalia rosea
(Sw.) DC, against
Candida albicans
and
Candida tropicalis
. The antimicrobial tests were performed by microdilution against
Candida
spp. The test to verify the combined lectin/fluconazole effect was performed using subinhibitory concentrations of lectins and with antifungal ranging from 0.5 to 512 µg/mL. The ability to inhibit the morphological transition of
Candida
spp. was evaluated by microcultivation in a moist chamber. The results of the minimum inhibitory concentration revealed no antifungal activity against the tested strains. However, lectins modified the action of fluconazole, reducing the IC
50
of the drug against
C. albicans
. Lectins were also able to discretely modulate the morphological transition of the tested strains.
•The essential oil of Piper regnellii (Miq.) C. DC. Contains phenylpropanoids such as apiol and dilapiol.•This essential oil of Piper regnellii (Miq.) C. DC. showed weak intrinsic activity against ...fungi and bacteria (≥ 512 µg/mL).•This essential oil of Piper regnellii (Miq.) C. DC. enhances the effect of gentamicin and fluconazole against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida tropicalis respectively.•Piper regnellii (Miq.) C. DC. inhibited the morphological transition of C. albicans and C. tropicalis, which can significantly impact Candida virulence.
Plant-derived essential oils are volatile hydrophobic compounds with significant antimicrobial activities. Considering the rise of antimicrobial resistance, these natural products have been highlighted as efficient weapons against multidrug-resistant microorganisms. This work aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Piper regnellii essential oil against strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Candida tropicalis. Phytochemical analysis was performed through gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (CG/MS). The intrinsic antimicrobial activity and the ability of the essential oil to modulate antimicrobial resistance were assessed using the broth microdilution method. Fungal virulence inhibition was analyzed by measuring the growth of hyphae in microculture chambers. Phytochemical characterization revealed a predominance of phenylpropanoids, including apiol (70.79%) and dilapiol (15.05%) as major constituents. While presenting clinically ineffective antibacterial effects (MIC ≥ 1.024 µg/mL for all strains), the essential oil potentiated the activity of gentamicin against E. coli at concentrations above 20 µg/mL. Piper regnellii essential oil showed clinically ineffective antifungal activity with IC50 values above 500 µg/mL. However, it was found to potentiate the activity of fluconazole against C. tropicalis at concentrations ranging from 32 μg/mL to 1024 μg/mL. Furthermore, the morphological transition was inhibited by culturing C. albicans and C. tropicalis with different concentrations of the essential oil. Together, our results indicate that P. regnellii essential oil presents promising antifungal effects. However, the mechanisms underlying its interference on Candida virulence remain to be further investigated.
The barks of Anacardium occidentale (cashew tree) been used for centuries in the popular pharmacopoeia of South America and West Africa for the treatment of infections and neurodegenerative diseases. ...Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the biological effect of the ethanolic extract of the barks against strains of Candida spp. and cancer cell lines, as well as identifying the chemical constituents present in the product. For that, the extract was submitted to an UPLC-QTOF/MS, which mass fragments were compared in the literature at the botanical family level. For antifungal activity, the serial microdilution method was used in varying concentrations, and the modifier of fluconazole in sub-inhibitory concentrations (CFM/16). Cytotoxicity was evaluated using the MTT method 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazol bromide in five cell lines (HL-60, NCI–H292, HCT-116, P815 and L929). Eight compounds were identified, including gallic acid, luteolin, epicatechin gallate and agathisflavone. An antifungal effect of the extract was observed for the strains of Candida albicans, Candida krusei and Candida tropicalis, with IC50 lower than 400 μg/mL. In addition, there was a synergistic action with fluconazole against C. albicans and C. tropicalis. As for antitumor activity, there was a moderate activity against all cancer lines, showing low cytotoxicity for the normal line, making the extract an excellent candidate for drug development. The ethnopharmacological use of A. occidentale by populations for the treatment of DIP's and neurodegenerative diseases, reveal that this organ has biological actions against microorganisms that cause infections, as well as being capable of causing toxicity in cancer cells.
•The extract of the bark of A. occidentale has anti-Candida effect.•Anacardium occidentale has the ability to intensify the effect of the antifungal Fluconazole.•The barks of A. occidentale have phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins.•The bark extract presented a greater cytotoxic activity over tumor cells.
A safe and effective vaccine with long-term protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) is a global health priority. Here, we develop lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to provide safe and ...effective delivery of plasmid DNA (pDNA) and show protection against VOCs in female small animal models. Using a library of LNPs encapsulating unique barcoded DNA (b-DNA), we screen for b-DNA delivery after intramuscular administration. The top-performing LNPs are further tested for their capacity of pDNA uptake in antigen-presenting cells in vitro. The lead LNP is used to encapsulate pDNA encoding the HexaPro version of SARS-CoV-2 spike (LNP-HPS) and immunogenicity and protection is tested in vivo. LNP-HPS elicit a robust protective effect against SARS-CoV-2 Gamma (P.1), correlating with reduced lethality, decreased viral load in the lungs and reduced lung damage. LNP-HPS induce potent humoral and T cell responses against P.1, and generate high levels of neutralizing antibodies against P.1 and Omicron (B.1.1.529). Our findings indicate that the protective efficacy and immunogenicity elicited by LNP-HPS are comparable to those achieved by the approved COVID-19 vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer in animal models. Together, these findings suggest that LNP-HPS hold great promise as a vaccine candidate against VOCs.
The assessment of restored teeth in dentistry remains a challenge, mainly related to the detection of caries around restorations. There is a diversity of clinical criteria available to assess the ...caries lesions, resulting in differences in the dentists' diagnosis and treatment decisions. In addition, there is a lack of evidence regarding the best criteria to detect caries lesions around the restorations. Thus, the present protocol aims to evaluate the effect of using 2 visual criteria to assess restored teeth on the outcomes related to oral health in adults.
The design protocol of the Caries Cognition and Identification in Adults trial correspond to a triple-blind randomized, controlled clinical trial with parallel-groups. Two groups will be compared: patients who will receive the diagnosis and treatment decision according to FDI (World Dental Federation) criteria-FDI group; and patients who will receive diagnosis and treatment decision according to the "Caries Associated with Restorations or Sealants" criteria defined by the International Caries Classification and Management System (ICCMS group). The participants will be followed up after 6, 12, 18, 24, and 60 months, and the restoration failure will be the primary outcome. The analysis will be conducted through Cox regression with shared frailty. The impact of oral health on quality of life and the cost-effectiveness of the methods used will be the secondary outcomes. Two-tailed analyzes will be used, considering a level of significance of 5%.
This is the first clinical trial to assess the effect of using two visual methods to detect caries lesions around restorations on the outcomes related to oral health in adults. The findings of this study will define what is the best diagnostic strategy for the assessment of caries around restorations in permanent teeth. Trial registration NCT03108586 (registered 11 April 2017).
This cross-sectional study aimed to compare two clinical approaches based on visual criteria for secondary caries assessments and treatment decisions in permanent posterior teeth.
The two clinical ...visual criteria tested for the assessments of restored teeth were: FDI criteria-based on the caries presence, marginal adaptation and staining criteria, adapted from the FDI (International Dental Federation) criteria and CARS criteria-"Caries Associated with Restorations or Sealants" (CARS) criteria described by the International Caries Classification and Management System. Adults were randomized according to the criteria. One calibrated examiner assessed the restorations and assigned the treatment according to the criteria. The primary outcome was replacement indication.
A total of 185 patients were included, totalling 718 restorations. The strongest correlation founded between the methods was for the presence of caries lesions (Rho = 0.829). A moderate correlation (Rho = 0.420) was founded between the treatment decisions proposed by the CARS and by the FDI criteria. The multilevel regression analysis showed that the FDI criteria indicated five times more replacements when compared to the CARS (< 0.001). Also, using the FDI criteria restorations were 2.7 times more related to caries around restorations (p < 0.001) compared to the other criterion.
The visual criteria used on the restoration's assessment directly influences the treatment decision to intervene or not on the restoration. The use of a minimally invasive based approach for assessing secondary caries may prevent overtreatment.
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