Tissue-Protective and Anti-Inflammatory Landmark of PRP-Treated Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Secretome for Osteoarthritis

Bone-marrow-mesenchymal-stromal-cells (BMSCs)- and platelet-rich-plasma (PRP)-based therapies have shown potential for treating osteoarthritis (OA). Recently, the combination of these two approaches was proposed, with results that overcame those observed with the separate treatments, indicating a possible role of PRP in ameliorating BMSCs’ regenerative properties. Since a molecular fingerprint of BMSCs cultivated in the presence of PRP is missing, the aim of this study was to characterize the secretome in terms of soluble factors and extracellular-vesicle (EV)-embedded miRNAs from the perspective of tissues, pathways, and molecules which frame OA pathology. One hundred and five soluble factors and one hundred eighty-four EV-miRNAs were identified in the PRP-treated BMSCs’ secretome, respectively. Several soluble factors were related to the migration of OA-related immune cells, suggesting the capacity of BMSCs to attract lympho-, mono-, and granulocytes and modulate their inflammatory status. Accordingly, several EV-miRNAs had an immunomodulating role at both the single-factor and cell level, together with the ability to target OA-characterizing extracellular-matrix-degrading enzymes and cartilage destruction pathways. Overall, anti-inflammatory and protective signals far exceeded inflammation and destruction cues for cartilage, macrophages, and T cells. This study demonstrates that BMSCs cultivated in the presence of PRP release therapeutic molecules and give molecular ground for the use of this combined and innovative therapy for OA treatment.     

Functional Characterization of E. coli LptC: Interaction with LPS and a Synthetic Ligand

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the main cell‐surface molecular constituent of Gram‐negative bacteria, is synthesized in the inner membrane (IM) and transported to the outer membrane (OM) by the Lpt (lipopolysaccharide transport) machinery. Neosynthesized LPS is first flipped by MsbA across the IM, then transported to the OM by seven Lpt proteins located in the IM (LptBCFG), in the periplasm (LptA), and in the OM (LptDE). A functional OM is essential to bacterial viability and requires correct placement of LPS in the outer leaflet. Therefore, LPS biogenesis represents an ideal target for the development of novel antibiotics against Gram‐negative bacteria. Although the structures of Lpt proteins have been elucidated, little is known about the mechanism of LPS transport, and few data are available on Lpt–LPS binding. We report here the first determination of the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of the interaction between LptC and a fluorescent lipo‐oligosaccharide (fLOS) in vitro. The apparent dissociation constant (K_d) of the fLOS–LptC interaction was evaluated by two independent methods. The first was based on fLOS capture by resin‐immobilized LptC; the second used quenching of LptC intrinsic fluorescence by fLOS in solution. The K_d values by the two methods (71.4 and 28.8 μm, respectively) are very similar, and are of the same order of magnitude as that of the affinity of LOS for the upstream transporter, MsbA. Interestingly, both methods showed that fLOS binding to LptC is mostly irreversible, thus reflecting the fact that LPS can be released from LptC only when energy is supplied by ATP or in the presence of a higher‐affinity LptA protein. A fluorescent glycolipid was synthesized: this also interacted irreversibly with LptC, but with lower affinity (apparent K_d=221 μM ). This compound binds LptC at the LPS binding site and is a prototype for the development of new antibiotics targeting LPS transport in Gram‐negative bacteria.     

Mesoporous carbons as low temperature fuel cell platinum catalyst supports

Platinum catalysts supported on ordered mesoporous carbons (OMC) are described. The mesoporous carbon support, CMK3 type, was synthesised as an inverse replica of a SBA-15 silica template. The platinum catalysts (i.e. Pt 20 wt% and Pt 10 wt%, respectively), obtained through a conventional wet impregnation method, have been investigated to determine their structural characteristics and electrochemical behaviour. The electro-catalytic performance towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was compared to those of commercial Pt/C-Vulcan XTC72R (E-Tek) catalysts with the same Pt wt%, under the same experimental conditions. The two catalyst samples have allowed the effect of the variation of both the Pt to Nafion and Pt to the supporting carbon ratios to be studied. Electrochemical tests have been carried out in three different systems: a catalyst ink deposited on a glassy carbon rotating disk electrode (RDE), a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) in a three-electrode cell with H₂SO₄ as the electrolyte and a complete PEM single fuel cell. The first results indicate that the OMC performs slightly less well than commercial carbon supports, mainly in the complete fuel cell system. The data from the cell tests indicate a less effective distribution of Nafion on the OMC surface which, probably, decreases the platinum utilisation and the proton conductivity.     

Lysosomes Targeting pH Activable Imaging-Guided Photodynamic Agents

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a photochemistry-based medical treatment combining light at a specific wavelength and a photosensitizer (PS) in the presence of oxygen. Application of PDT as a conventional treatment is limited and clearly the approval in clinics of new PS is challenging. The selective accumulation of the PS in the targeted malignant cells is of paramount importance to reduce the side effects that are typical of the current worldwide approved PS. Here we report a new series of aniline- and iodine-substituted BODIPY derivatives ( 1 – 3 ) as promising lysosome-targeting and pH-responsive theranostic PS, which displayed a significant in vitro light-induced cytotoxicity, efficient imaging properties and low dark toxicity (for 2 and 3 ). These compounds were obtained in few reproducible synthetic steps and good yields. Spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements along with computational calculations confirmed the quenching of the emissive properties of the PS, while both fluorescence and ¹O₂ emission were obtained only under acidic conditions inducing amine protonation. The pK_a values and pH-dependent emissive properties of 1 – 3 being established, their cellular uptake and activation in the lysosomal vesicles (pH≈4-5) were confirmed by their co-localization with the commercial LysoTracker deep red and light-induced cytotoxicity (IC₅₀ between 0.16 and 0.06 μM) against HeLa cancer cells.     

Machine Learning-Based Virtual Screening for the Identification of Cdk5 Inhibitors

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is an atypical proline-directed serine/threonine protein kinase well-characterized for its role in the central nervous system rather than in the cell cycle. Indeed, its dysregulation has been strongly implicated in the progression of synaptic dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), and also in the development and progression of a variety of cancers. For this reason, Cdk5 is considered as a promising target for drug design, and the discovery of novel small-molecule Cdk5 inhibitors is of great interest in the medicinal chemistry field. In this context, we employed a machine learning-based virtual screening protocol with subsequent molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy evaluations. Our virtual screening studies resulted in the identification of two novel Cdk5 inhibitors, highlighting an experimental hit rate of 50% and thus validating the reliability of the in silico workflow. Both identified ligands, compounds CPD1 and CPD4, showed a promising enzyme inhibitory activity and CPD1 also demonstrated a remarkable antiproliferative activity in ovarian and colon cancer cells. These ligands represent a valuable starting point for structure-based hit-optimization studies aimed at identifying new potent Cdk5 inhibitors.     

The Functional Characteristics of Goat Cheese Microbiota from a One-Health Perspective

Goat cheese is an important element of the Mediterranean diet, appreciated for its health-promoting features and unique taste. A pivotal role in the development of these characteristics is attributed to the microbiota and its continuous remodeling over space and time. Nevertheless, no thorough study of the cheese-associated microbiota using two metaomics approaches has previously been conducted. Here, we employed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metaproteomics to explore the microbiota of a typical raw goat milk cheese at various ripening timepoints and depths of the cheese wheel. The 16S rRNA gene-sequencing and metaproteomics results described a stable microbiota ecology across the selected ripening timepoints, providing evidence for the microbiologically driven fermentation of goat milk products. The important features of the microbiota harbored on the surface and in the core of the cheese mass were highlighted in both compositional and functional terms. We observed the rind microbiota struggling to maintain the biosafety of the cheese through competition mechanisms and/or by preventing the colonization of the cheese by pathobionts of animal or environmental origin. The core microbiota was focused on other biochemical processes, supporting its role in the development of both the health benefits and the pleasant gustatory nuances of goat cheese.