Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (87)
- Doctoral Thesis (42)
Language
- English (129) (remove)
Has Fulltext
- yes (129)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (129)
Keywords
- - (47)
- antibiotic resistance (5)
- Bacillus (4)
- drug resistance (4)
- Atmosphärendruckplasma (3)
- Bakterien (3)
- ESBL (3)
- Polysaccharide (3)
- Proteomics (3)
- antimicrobial resistance (3)
Institute
- Institut für Pharmazie (129) (remove)
Publisher
- MDPI (59)
- Wiley (11)
- Frontiers Media S.A. (7)
- BioMed Central (BMC) (5)
- Springer Nature (4)
- ACS Publications (1)
Microalgae are aquatic, unicellular, eukaryotic organisms, which perform photosynthesis. They have gained interest within the last decades not only for biofuel production due to their high amount of lipids, but also for pharmaceutical and for nutraceutical purposes. Interesting compounds are proteins, carbohydrates, or pigments, such as carotenoids. However, microalgae possess strong and rigid cell walls, which hinder a sufficient and yet, gentle extraction of those valuable compounds. Although standard extraction techniques are available, several shortcomings occur, e.g. high energy demand, use of environmentally harmful solvents or alteration of compounds due to heat or chemicals. Therefore, an alternative method is needed, which is able to address these disadvantages. Physical plasmas were thus studied to answer the question whether they are able to disintegrate the cell walls of microalgae effectively and yet, without degradation of the extractives.
First step of the thesis was to find a suitable plasma source that has an effect on the cell walls because plasma effects, such as electric fields, shockwaves, UV light emission, and the generation of reactive species can be tailored with the respective setup. It was found that spark discharges are most effective for the extraction of Chlorella vulgaris, which was chosen as model organism. All extraction yields were compared to reference methods, whereat microwave radiation was found to be the most effective reference method and were hence, applied for comparative studies.
For the next step, proteins were selected as targets to answer the question, which differences can be determined between plasms-treated and microwave-radiated proteins are observable although the extraction yields were equal. Furthermore, plasma effects, especially the effects of reactive species on the extracted proteins had to be studied. Findings indicate that heat sensitive proteins, such as photosystem-related proteins, or histones are better extractable with spark discharges than with microwave exposure and the effect of reactive species is only minor.
The last step was to determine, which plasma effect is responsible for the observed cell wall disintegration. Therefore, the tensile strength of Chlorella vulgaris was determined and compared to the shockwave pressure, which is generated from the spark channel. It was proven that the shockwave pressure exceeds by far the tensile strength of the microalgae an can be thus held responsible for mechanism for cell wall rupture.
In this thesis, it was found that spark discharges are a promising alternative for the extraction of valuable compounds from microalgae. The discharges are not only effective, but also gentle enough for sensitive compounds, such as proteins or pigments.
Abstract
The KV7 potassium channel openers flupirtine and retigabine have been valuable options in the therapy of pain and epilepsy. However, as a result of adverse reactions, both drugs are currently no longer in therapeutic use. The flupirtine‐induced liver injury and the retigabine linked tissue discolouration do not appear related at first glance; nevertheless, both events can be attributed to the triaminoaryl scaffold, which is affected by oxidation leading to elusive reactive quinone diimine or azaquinone diimine metabolites. Since the mechanism of action, i. e. KV7 channel opening, seems not to be involved in toxicity, this study aimed to further develop safer replacements for flupirtine and retigabine. In a ligand‐based design strategy, replacing amino substituents of the triaminoaryl core with alkyl substituents led to carba analogues with improved oxidation resistance and negligible risk of quinoid metabolite formation. In addition to these improved safety features, some of the novel analogues exhibited significantly improved KV7.2/3 channel opening activity, indicated by an up to 13‐fold increase in potency and an efficacy of up to 176 % compared to flupirtine, thus being attractive candidates for further development.
KV7 channel openers have proven their therapeutic value in the treatment of pain as well as epilepsy and, moreover, they hold the potential to expand into additional indications with unmet medical needs. However, the clinically validated but meanwhile discontinued KV7 channel openers flupirtine and retigabine bear an oxidation‐sensitive triaminoraryl scaffold, which is suspected of causing adverse drug reactions via the formation of quinoid oxidation products. Here, we report the design and synthesis of nicotinamide analogs and related compounds that remediate the liability in the chemical structure of flupirtine and retigabine. Optimization of a nicotinamide lead structure yielded analogs with excellent KV7.2/3 opening activity, as evidenced by EC50 values approaching the single‐digit nanomolar range. On the other hand, weighted KV7.2/3 opening activity data including inactive compounds allowed for the establishment of structure–activity relationships and a plausible binding mode hypothesis verified by docking and molecular dynamics simulations.
The potassium channel opening drugs flupirtine and retigabine have been withdrawn from the market due to occasional drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and tissue discoloration, respectively. While the mechanism underlying DILI after prolonged flupirtine use is not entirely understood, evidence indicates that both drugs are metabolized in an initial step to reactive ortho- and/or para-azaquinone diimines or ortho- and/or para-quinone diimines, respectively. Aiming to develop safer alternatives for the treatment of pain and epilepsy, we have attempted to separate activity from toxicity by employing a drug design strategy of avoiding the detrimental oxidation of the central aromatic ring by shifting oxidation toward the formation of benign metabolites. In the present investigation, an alternative retrometabolic design strategy was followed. The nitrogen atom, which could be involved in the formation of both ortho- or para-quinone diimines of the lead structures, was shifted away from the central ring, yielding a substitution pattern with nitrogen substituents in the meta position only. Evaluation of KV7.2/3 opening activity of the 11 new specially designed derivatives revealed surprisingly steep structure–activity relationship data with inactive compounds and an activity cliff that led to the identification of an apparent “magic methyl” effect in the case of N-(4-fluorobenzyl)-6-[(4-fluorobenzyl)amino]-2-methoxy-4-methylnicotinamide. This flupirtine analogue showed potent KV7.2/3 opening activity, being six times as active as flupirtine itself, and by design is devoid of the potential for azaquinone diimine formation.
Pentathiepins are cyclic polysulfides that exert antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity in cancer cells, induce oxidative stress and apoptosis, and potently inhibit GPx1. These properties render this class of compounds promising candidates for the development of anticancer drugs. However, the biological effects and how they intertwine to promote high cytotoxicity have not been systematically assessed throughout a panel of cancer cell lines from distinct tissues of origin. In this thesis, six novel pentathiepins were analyzed and constitute the second generation of compounds with additional properties such as fluorescence or improved water solubility to facilitate cellular testing. All compounds underwent extensive biological evaluation in 14 human cancer cell lines. These studies included investigations of the inhibitory potential with regards to GPx1 and cell proliferation, examined the cytotoxicity in human cancer cell lines, as well as the induction of oxidative stress and DNA strand breaks. Furthermore, selected hallmarks of apoptosis, ferroptosis, and autophagy were studied. Experimental approaches regarding these cellular mechanisms included observing morphological changes, detecting phosphatidyl serine exposure and caspase activity, and quantifying cleaved PARP1 and levels of LC3B II. In addition, the analysis of the cell cycle aimed to identify aberrations or arrests in cell division.
Five of the six tested pentathiepins proved to be potent inhibitors of the GPx1, while all six exerted high cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity, although to different extents. There was a clear connection observed between the potential to provoke oxidative stress and damage to DNA in the form of single- and double-strand breaks both extra- and intracellularly. Furthermore, various experiments supported apoptosis but not ferroptosis as the mechanism of cell death in four different cell lines. In particular, the externalization of PS, the detection of activated caspases, and the cleavage of PARP1 corroborated this conclusion. Additionally, indications for autophagy were found, but more investigations are required to verify the current data. The findings of this dissertation are mainly in line with the postulated mechanism of action proposed for pentathiepins and a previous publication from our group that described their biological activity. However, the influence of modulators such as oxygen and GSH on the biological effects was ambiguous and dependent on the compound. The expression profile of the cell lines concerning GPx1 and CAT did not influence the cellular response toward the treatment, whereas the cell doubling time correlated with the cytotoxicity.
As the various pentathiepins give rise to different biological responses, modulation of the biological effects depends on the distinct chemical structures fused to the sulfur ring. This may allow for future optimization of the anticancer activity of pentathiepins. An analysis of the structure-activity relationships revealed that the piperazine scaffold was associated with superior biological activity compared to the pyrrolo-pyrazine backbone. Furthermore, substituents with electron-withdrawing properties or those providing a free electron pair, such as fluorine or morpholine, were advantageous. These findings should help design and synthesize the next generation of pentathiepins, thereby expanding the library of compounds, allowing for the further deduction of structure-activity relationships and an improved understanding of their mechanism of action.
The objectives of this study were to ascertain the fecal ESBL/AmpC-E. coli prevalence and to detect risk factors for their occurrence in young pre-weaned calves and their dams on large dairy farms in Germany. From 2018–2019 we investigated 2816 individual fecal samples from pre-weaned dairy calves and their dams, representing seventy-two farms (mean = 667 milking cows) from eight German federal states. To assess possible risk factors associated with ESBL/AmpC-E. coli prevalence in calves and dams, a questionnaire was performed, collecting management data. We observed an ESBL/AmpC-E. coli prevalence of 63.5% (95% CI: 57.4–69.5) among the sampled calves and 18.0% (95% CI: 12.5–23.5) among the dams. On all farms, at least one positive sample was obtained. To date, this is the highest ESBL/AmpC-E. coli prevalence observed in dairy herds in Europe. Feeding with waste milk was identified as a significant risk factor for a high prevalence of ESBL/AmpC-E. coli in calves. Many calves at large dairies in Germany are fed with waste milk due to the large amounts generated as a result of antibiotic dry-off routines and mastitis treatment with antibiotics. Other notable risk factors for high ESBL/AmpC-E. coli in calves were the general fitness/health of dams and calves, and the quality of farm hygiene. Taken together, these findings suggest that new or improved approaches to animal health management, for example, antibiotic dry cow management (selective dry cow therapy) and mastitis treatment (high self-recovery), as well as farm hygiene, should be researched and implemented.
Seventeen bacterial strains able to suppress plant pathogens have been isolated from healthy Vietnamese crop plants and taxonomically assigned as members of the Bacillus cereus group. In order to prove their potential as biocontrol agents, we perform a comprehensive analysis that included the whole-genome sequencing of selected strains and the mining for genes and gene clusters involved in the synthesis of endo- and exotoxins and secondary metabolites, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Kurstakin, thumolycin, and other AMPs were detected and characterized by different mass spectrometric methods, such as MALDI-TOF-MS and LIFT-MALDI-TOF/TOF fragment analysis. Based on their whole-genome sequences, the plant-associated isolates were assigned to the following species and subspecies: B. cereus subsp. cereus (6), B. cereus subsp. bombysepticus (5), Bacillus tropicus (2), and Bacillus pacificus. These three isolates represent novel genomospecies. Genes encoding entomopathogenic crystal and vegetative proteins were detected in B. cereus subsp. bombysepticus TK1. The in vitro assays revealed that many plant-associated isolates enhanced plant growth and suppressed plant pathogens. Our findings indicate that the plant-associated representatives of the B. cereus group are a rich source of putative antimicrobial compounds with potential in sustainable agriculture. However, the presence of virulence genes might restrict their application as biologicals in agriculture.
The biodiversity of marine microorganisms opens a promising potential for the discovery of new technical enzymes. During this study a characterization of marine microorganisms, isolated from Arctic or Antarctic ice, sea water or sediment from the ocean was performed based on a comprehensive strain collection at the Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung. These marine psychrophilic bacteria indicated a wide spectrum of extracellular cold-active enzymes. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that many of these psychrophilic bacteria represent new species. Characterization of selected isolates by means of transmission electron or raster electron microscopy showed remarkably pleomorphic cellular structures throughout their growth. The major part of this thesis focuses on a marine Antarctic, psychrophilic bacterium (strain ANT/505) isolated from sea ice covered surface water from the Southern Ocean, which was identified to express a very uncommon enzymatic activity for the marine environment, namely a pectinolytic activity. The sequencing of the 16S rRNA of isolate ANT/505 and biochemical tests indicated a taxonomical affiliation to the specie Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis. The supernatant of this bacterial isolate showed after growth on citrus pectin three different pectinolytic activities. By activity screening of a genomic DNA library of isolate ANT/505 in Escherichia coli, two different pectinolytic clones could be isolated. Subcloning and sequencing revealed two open reading frames of 1671 and 1968 nt corresponding to proteins of 68 and 75 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of the two orfs showed homology to pectate lyases from Erwinia chrysanthemi and Aspergillus nidulans. The pectate lyases contain signal peptides of 17 and 26 amino acids length that were correctly processed after overexpression in E. coli BL21. Both enzymes were purified by anionic exchange chromatography. Maximal enzymatic activities for both pectate lyases were observed at a temperature of 30°C and a pH range of 9-10. The Km values of both lyases for pectate and citrus pectin were 1 g⋅l-1 and 5 g⋅l-1, respectively. Calcium was required for activity on pectic substrates, while the addition of 1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) resulted in complete inhibition of the enzymes. These two cold-adapted enzymes represent the first pectate lyases isolated and characterized from a marine bacterium. Further cloning and sequence analyses revealed that PelA from P. haloplanktis is an exceptionally big bifunctional enzyme featuring pectate lyase and pectin methylesterase activity. The deduced amino acid sequence of the pectin methylesterase domain showed homology to group I pectin methylesterases from Erwinia chrysanthemi and Erwinia carotovora. The pectin methylesterase domain of PelA was found to show highest homology to a potential pectin methylesterase from Saccharophagus degradans strain MD2-40. Maximum pectin methylesterase activity of PelA was detected at a pH of 7.5 and a maximum temperature of 30°C. This cold-adapted enzyme revealed high remaining pectin methylesterase activity at low temperatures around 5°C and was quickly unstabilized at temperatures above 45°C. The analysis of the localization of the two pectinolytic genes on the genome of P. haloplanktis ANT/505 revelaed that these pectinase genes are expressed from independent cistrons, which are not clustered but located at distant positions on chromosome I of the P. haloplanktis genome. It was found that the transcription of both pectinase genes is induced by the presence of pectin. By means of primer extension the promoter regions of both cistrons were detected.
Because of the importance of gastric emptying for pharmacokinetics, numerous methods have been developed for its determination. One of the methods is the salivary tracer technique, which utilizes an ice capsule containing caffeine as a salivary tracer. Despite the ice capsule’s advantage in labeling ingested fluids with caffeine for subsequent salivary detection, its risk of premature melting before swallowing, and its complicated storage and preparation, limit its application, particularly in special populations (e.g., older people). For this reason, here, a compression-coated tablet was developed and validated against the ice capsule in a cross-over clinical trial. The two dosage forms were administered simultaneously to 12 volunteers in an upright position under fasted and fed state conditions. To distinguish the caffeine concentrations in saliva from each dosage form, regular type of caffeine (12C) was added to the tablet, while for the ice capsule 13C3 labelled caffeine was used. The salivary caffeine concentrations showed no statistically significant differences for the pharmacokinetic parameters tmax and AUC0→60 (p > 0.05). Thus, the new formulation is a useful tool for determining gastric emptying that can also be used in special populations.
Bacillus licheniformis is one of the most important hosts used in the biotechnological industry for the production of technical enzymes, antibiotics and a number of biochemicals. Although this bacterium has been used for a long time as an expression host, only little information on expression systems of this host is available. An expression system could be controlled by a cell density signal, a specific chemical inducer or a thermal shift. A limiting substrate such as glucose or phosphate limitation is suggested to use as the signal for the induction of an expression system. When B. licheniformis cells are subjected to nutrient limitation conditions, numerous genes involved in the metabolism of alternative nutrient sources are induced in order to keep cell survival. Therefore, the main topic of this study was to identify and investigate the regulation of genes or operons which are strongly induced in B. licheniformis cells grown under nutrient limitation conditions in order to apply for the construction of potential new expression systems. The research includes studies on the regulation of genes which are responsible for the acetoin and 2,3-butanediol utilization in B. licheniformis cells grown under glucose limitation conditions. Furthermore, we also analyzed the regulation of phytase gene expression as well as investigated the function of a putative ribonuclease expressed in B. licheniformis under phosphate limitation conditions. From this study, it was shown that in B. licheniformis, the utilization of acetoin and 2,3-butanediol was mainly mediated by enzymes encoded by the acoABCL operon. The transcription of this operon was regulated by sigma L transcription factor and was induced by acetoin. The acuABC operon was suggested to play as an indirect regulatory role for the acetoin utilization in B. licheniformis. This operon was controlled by a typical sigma A dependent promoter, however, acetoin was not an inducer for its expression. Furthermore, the regulation of phytase gene expression was suggested to be controlled by PhoPR-two component systems. The results showed that phytate, which is the substrate of phytase enzyme, was not an inducer for the expression of phy gene. However, growth experiments revealed that phytate served as a good alternative phosphate source for the growth of B. licheniformis cells under these conditions. Finally, the inactivation of BLi03719 gene, coding for a putative ribonuclease, resulted in an increase of the total RNA concentration of B. licheniformis cells grown in phosphate limited medium. However, the mutation did not affect the expression of the heterologous reporter gene. Therefore, it could be speculated that the putative ribonuclease BLi03719 plays a role in ribosomal RNA degradation under these conditions.
In the search for bioactive compounds, 32 fungal strains were isolated from Indonesian marine habitats. Ethyl acetate extracts of their culture broth were tested for cytotoxic activity against a urinary bladder carcinoma cell line and for antifungal and antibacterial activities against fish and human pathogenic bacteria as well as against plant and human pathogenic fungi. Bioassay-guided fractionation led to the isolation of bioactive compounds. Altogether 14 compounds were isolated and further elucidated. The compounds were obtained from the ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts of six fungal strains. They included 9 polyketides, 2 terpenes, 1 alkaloid and 2 till now undefined structures.
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common member of the intestinal flora of vertebrates. In addition to opportunistic representatives, hypervirulent (hvKp) and antibiotic-resistant K. pneumoniae (ABR-Kp) occur. While ABR-Kp isolates often cause difficult-to-treat diseases due to limited therapeutic options, hvKp is a pathotype that can infect healthy individuals often leading to recurrent infection. Here, we investigated the clinical K. pneumoniae isolate PBIO3459 obtained from a blood sample, which showed an unusual colony morphology. By combining whole-genome and RNA sequencing with multiple in vitro and in vivo virulence-associated assays, we aimed to define the respective Klebsiella subtype and explore the unusual phenotypic appearance. We demonstrate that PBIO3459 belongs to sequence type (ST)20 and carries no acquired resistance genes, consistent with phenotypic susceptibility tests. In addition, the isolate showed low-level virulence, both at genetic and phenotypic levels. We thus suggest that PBIO3459 is an opportunistic (commensal) K. pneumoniae isolate. Genomic comparison of PBIO3459 with closely related ABR-Kp ST20 isolates revealed that they differed only in resistance genes. Finally, the unusual colony morphology was mainly associated with carbohydrate and amino acid transport and metabolism. In conclusion, our study reveals the characteristics of a Klebsiella sepsis isolate and suggests that opportunistic representatives likely acquire and accumulate antibiotic resistances that subsequently enable their emergence as ABR-Kp pathogens.
Chemistry and biology of Phenolics isolated from Myricaria germanica (L.) Desv. (Tamaricaceae)
(2014)
In accordance with the recent worldwide interest in plant phenolics, which emerges from their broad range of biological activities, particular emphasis has been focused, in the present thesis, on the constitutive phenolics of the extract of Myricaria germanica (L.) Desv. (Tamaricaceae). During the current thesis twenty phenolics (1 – 20) were isolated and identified from the aqueous/ethanol extract of the whole Myricaria germanica plant. The isolates include four hitherto unknown natural phenolics (2, 10, 12 and 20). Also, the cytotoxic activities of M. germanica extract, column fractions, and one new natural isolate against three different solid tumor cell lines, namely, breast cancer (MCF-7), prostate (PC-3), and liver (Huh-7) cancer cell using SRB viability assay have been investigated and first insights into mode of action have been obtained.
Profiling the activity and hepatotoxicity of flupirtine through medicinal chemistry approaches
(2019)
Drug induced liver injury (DILI) and tissue discoloration led to the recent discontinuation of the therapeutic use of the closely related drugs flupirtine and retigabine, respectively. Experience gained with these drugs strongly suggests that heterodimer, voltage‐gated potassium channels 2 and 3 (KV2/3) are valid targets for effective treatment of pain and epilepsy. Because the adverse effects are not related to the mechanism of action, it appears promising to investigate chemical modifications of these clinically validated, drug‐like leads. In the present retro metabolic drug design study, a series of 44 compounds were
synthesized and characterized with regards to KV7.2/3 opening activity and efficacy. The most active compounds displays excellent potency (EC50 = 4 nM) and efficacy (154%) as an Kv7.2/3 opener. Limited aqeous solubility hampered toxicity testing at concentrations higher than 63 μM, but this concentration was nontoxic to two hepatocellular cell ilnes (HEP‐G2 and TAMH) in culture.
Hypoxia is common in marine environments and a major stressor for marine organisms inhabiting benthic and intertidal zones. Several studies have explored the responses of these organisms to hypoxic stress at the whole organism level with a focus on energy metabolism and mitochondrial response, but the instrinsic mitochondrial responses that support the organelle’s function under hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R) stress are not well understood. We studied the effects of acute H/R stress (10 min anoxia followed by 15 min reoxygenation) on mitochondrial respiration, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and posttranslational modifications (PTM) of the proteome in a marine facultative anaerobe, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis. The mussels’ mitochondria showed increased OXPHOS respiration and suppressed proton leak resulting in a higher coupling efficiency after H/R stress. ROS production decreased in both the resting (LEAK) and phosphorylating (OXPHOS) state indicating that M. edulis was able to prevent oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage during reoxygenation. Hypoxia did not lead to rearrangement of the mitochondrial supercomplexes but impacted the mitochondrial phosphoproteome including the proteins involved in OXPHOS, amino acid- and fatty acid catabolism, and protein quality control. This study indicates that mussels’ mitochondria possess intrinsic mechanisms (including regulation via reversible protein phosphorylation) that ensure high respiratory flux and mitigate oxidative damage during H/R stress and contribute to the hypoxia-tolerant mitochondrial phenotype of this metabolically plastic species.
Synthesis of Quercetin-Loaded Silver Nanoparticles and Assessing Their Anti-Bacterial Potential
(2023)
The study delves into the multifaceted potential of quercetin (Qu), a phytoconstituent found in various fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants, in combination with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The research explores the synthesis and characterization of AgNPs loaded with Qu and investigates their pharmaceutical applications, particularly focusing on antibacterial properties. The study meticulously evaluates Qu’s identity, and physicochemical properties, reaffirming its suitability for pharmaceutical use. The development of Qu-loaded AgNPs demonstrates their high drug entrapment efficiency, ideal particle characteristics, and controlled drug release kinetics, suggesting enhanced therapeutic efficacy and reduced side effects. Furthermore, the research examines the antibacterial activity of Qu in different solvents, revealing distinct outcomes. Qu, both in methanol and water formulations, exhibits antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, with the methanol formulation displaying a slightly stronger efficacy. In conclusion, this study successfully synthesizes AgNPs loaded with Qu and highlights their potential as a potent antibacterial formulation. The findings underscore the influence of solvent choice on Qu’s antibacterial properties and pave the way for further research and development in drug delivery systems and antimicrobial agents. This innovative approach holds promise for addressing microbial resistance and advancing pharmaceutical formulations for improved therapeutic outcomes.