Green nanotechnology in phytosynthesis and its efficiency in inhibiting bacterial biofilm formation: implications for medicine.

Nanotechnology is used in several biomedical applications, including antimicrobial and antibiofilm applications using nanomaterials. Bacterial biofilm varies according to the strain; the matrix is very strong and resistant. In this sense, phytosynthesis is an important method for combating bacterial biofilms through the use of metallic nanoparticles (silver, gold, or copper) with increased marketing and technical-scientific potential.

Antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of procyanidins: potential for clinical and biotechnological applications.

Procyanidins (PCs) have emerged as agents with potential antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities, although their mechanisms of action and structure-activity relationships remain poorly understood. This review assessed the potential mechanisms of action and applications of these compounds to explore these aspects. Studies on the antimicrobial properties of PCs suggest that they are involved in osmotic imbalance, DNA interactions and metabolic disruption.

Structural and thermodynamic characterization of a highly amyloidogenic dimer of transthyretin involved in a severe cardiomyopathy.

Transthyretin (TTR) is an homotetrameric protein involved in the transport of thyroxine. More than 150 different mutations have been described in the TTR gene, several of them associated with familial amyloid cardiomyopathy. Recently, our group described a new variant of TTR in Brazil, namely A39D-TTR, which causes a severe cardiac condition.

Estimating the therapeutic potential of NSAIDs and linoleic acid-isomers supplementation against neuroinflammation.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) regulate inflammation, which is associated with their role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases in epidemiological studies. It has sparked interest in their unconventional application for reducing neuroinflammation, opening up new avenues in biomedical research. However, given the pharmacological drawbacks of NSAIDs, the development of formulations with naturally antioxidant/anti-inflammatory dietary fatty acids has been demonstrated to be advantageous for the clinical translation of anti-inflammatory-based therapies.

The alpha-synuclein oligomers activate nuclear factor of activated T-cell (NFAT) modulating synaptic homeostasis and apoptosis.

Background: Soluble oligomeric forms of alpha-synuclein (aSyn-O) are believed to be one of the main toxic species in Parkinson's disease (PD) leading to degeneration. aSyn-O can induce Ca influx, over activating downstream pathways leading to PD phenotype. Calcineurin (CN), a phosphatase regulated by Ca levels, activates NFAT transcription factors that are involved in the regulation of neuronal plasticity, growth, and survival.