Publications by authors named "Christiane Koller"

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a hyperosmolar, barrier-forming nasal spray based on carrageenan and sorbitol, and to demonstrate its decongestant effect in the context of allergic rhinitis (AR).

Methods: The efficacy of the nasal spray components was tested in vitro by barrier function, virus replication inhibition, and water absorption assays. The decongestant effectiveness was assessed in a randomized, controlled, crossover environmental chamber trial, where participants with a history of seasonal grass pollen AR were exposed to grass pollen allergens under controlled conditions.

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Due to fast nasal mucociliary clearance, only the dissolved drug content can effectively permeate the mucosa and be pharmaceutically active after intranasal application of suspensions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to increase the budesonide concentration in solution of a nasal spray formulation. Budesonide, a highly water-insoluble corticosteroid, was successfully solubilized using a micellar formulation comprising escin, propylene glycol and dexpanthenol in an aqueous buffered environment ("Budesolv").

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Corticosteroids and macrolide immunomodulators such as tacrolimus are effective drugs for the topical treatment of inflammatory eye diseases like allergic conjunctivitis or dry eye. However, tacrolimus is practically insoluble in aqueous solutions and is therefore currently formulated as dispersion. This leads to low bioavailability.

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Introduction: Xylometazoline hydrochloride (HCl) is a nasal decongestant that causes vasoconstriction in the nasal submucosa. It has been used for more than 50 years for the treatment of nasal congestion caused by rhinitis/sinusitis. Iota-carrageenan is effective against a broad variety of respiratory viruses, which are the most common cause of infections of the upper respiratory tract.

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Background: Carrageenan is a clinically proven and marketed compound for the treatment of viral upper respiratory tract infections. As infections caused by influenza virus are often accompanied by infections with other respiratory viruses the combination of a specific anti-influenza compound with the broadly active antiviral polymer has huge potential for the treatment of respiratory infections. Thus, the combination of the specific anti-influenza drug Zanamivir together with carrageenan in a formulation suitable for intranasal application was evaluated in-vitro and in-vivo.

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Carrageenan has been widely used as food additive for decades and therefore, an extended oral data set is available in the public domain. Less data are available for other routes of administration, especially intranasal administration. The current publication describes the non-clinical safety and toxicity of native (non-degraded) iota-carrageenan when applied intranasally or via inhalation.

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Emerging insights into the functional spectrum of tissue lectins leads to identification of new targets for the custom-made design of potent inhibitors, providing a challenge for synthetic chemistry. The affinity and selectivity of a carbohydrate ligand for a lectin may immensely be increased by a number of approaches, which includes varying geometrical or topological features. This perspective leads to the design and synthesis of glycoclusters and their testing using assays of physiological relevance.

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The human macrophage galactose-type lectin (MGL) is a key physiological receptor for the carcinoma-associated Tn antigen (GalNAc-α-1-O-Ser/Thr) in mucins. NMR and modeling-based data on the molecular recognition features of synthetic Tn-bearing glycopeptides by MGL are presented. Cognate epitopes on the sugar and matching key amino acids involved in the interaction were identified by saturation transfer difference (STD) NMR spectroscopy.

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Aim: Advanced renal cancer has still a very poor prognosis. We combined wingless-related integration site (WNT) inhibitors with a bi-functional peptide, as previous research has proven their individual efficacy in cancer therapy. Each targets cancer cells differently.

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Background: In an acidic and lysine-rich environment Escherichia coli induces expression of the cadBA operon which encodes CadA, the lysine decarboxylase, and CadB, the lysine/cadaverine antiporter. cadBA expression is dependent on CadC, a membrane-integrated transcriptional activator which belongs to the ToxR-like protein family. Activation of CadC requires two stimuli, lysine and low pH.

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The membrane-integral transcriptional activator CadC comprises sensory and transcriptional regulatory functions within one polypeptide chain. Its C-terminal periplasmic domain, CadC(pd), is responsible for sensing of environmental pH as well as for binding of the feedback inhibitor cadaverine. Here we describe the crystal structure of CadC(pd) (residues 188-512) solved at a resolution of 1.

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The analysis of stress response systems in microorganisms can reveal molecular strategies for regulatory control and adaptation. In this study, we focused on the Cad module, a subsystem of Escherichia coli's response to acidic stress that is conditionally activated at low pH only when lysine is available. When expressed, the Cad system counteracts the elevated H(+) concentration by converting lysine to cadaverine under the consumption of H(+) and exporting cadaverine in exchange for external lysine.

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In an acidic (pH 5.8) and lysine-rich environment Escherichia coli induces expression of the cadBA operon which encodes CadA, catalysing the decarboxylation of lysine to cadaverine, and CadB, the lysine/cadaverine antiporter. cadBA expression is dependent on CadC, a membrane-integrated transcriptional activator which belongs to the ToxR-like protein family and directly binds to the DNA in the cadBA promoter region.

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Halobacillus halophilus is a strictly chloride-dependent, moderately halophilic bacterium that synthesizes glutamate and glutamine as the major compatible solutes at intermediate NaCl concentrations. The key enzyme in production of the compatible solutes glutamine and glutamate, glutamine synthetase, is dependent on chloride on a transcriptional and activity level. This led us to ask whether exogenous supply of glutamate may relief the chloride dependence of growth of H.

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