Anti-Helicobacter pylori Properties of the Ant-Venom Peptide Bicarinalin.

The venom peptide bicarinalin, previously isolated from the ant , is an antimicrobial agent with a broad spectrum of activity. In this study, we investigate the potential of bicarinalin as a novel agent against , which causes several gastric diseases. First, the effects of synthetic bicarinalin have been tested against : one ATCC strain, and forty-four isolated from stomach ulcer biopsies of Peruvian patients.

Sacha Inchi Oil (Plukenetia volubilis L.), effect on adherence of Staphylococus aureus to human skin explant and keratinocytes in vitro.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Plukenetia volubilis L. (Euphorbiaceae) is a domesticated vine distributed from the high-altitude Andean rain forest to the lowlands of the Peruvian Amazon. Oil from the cold-pressed seeds, sold under the commercial name of Sacha Inchi Oil (SIO) is actually much in favour because it contains a high percentage of omega 3 and omega 6, and is hence used as a dietary supplement.

The use of isolated enterocytes to study Phase I intestinal drug metabolism: validation with rat and pig intestine.

An important step in the development of new drugs is to evaluate the extent of their metabolism during absorption in the small intestine. Reliable in vitro systems to do this can expediate the development process, but the current systems are often unsuitable because they lack the appropriate metabolic enzymes (e.g.

Polyvalent catanionic vesicles: exploring the drug delivery mechanisms.

Among drug delivery systems, catanionic vesicles now appear as powerful candidates for pharmaceutical applications because they are relatively cheap and easy to use, thus well corresponding to industrial requirements. Using labelled vesicles made of a tricatenar catanionic surfactant, the work reported here aims at exploring the mechanisms by which internalisation into a cell occurs. The study was performed on various cell types such as phagocytic as well as non-phagocytic cells using confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry.

Evaluation of biocompatible stabilised gelled soya bean oil nanoparticles as new hydrophobic reservoirs.

Based on the organogel concept, in which an oil is trapped in a network of low-molecular-mass organic gelator fibres creating a gel, a formulation of gelled soya bean oil nanoparticles was evaluated for its capacity to form biocompatible hydrophobic reservoirs. The aqueous dispersions of nanoparticles were prepared by hot emulsification (T° > Tgel) and cooling at room temperature in the presence of polyethyleneimine (PEI). The dispersions were stabilised by the electrostatic interactions between the positively charged amino groups of the PEI and the negatively charged carboxylates of the gelator fibres present at the surface of the particles.

The mycotoxin deoxynivalenol inhibits the cell surface expression of activation markers in human macrophages.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most prevalent trichothecene mycotoxin in crops in Europe and North America. It exhibits several toxic effects including impaired growth and immune dysregulation. Macrophages play pivotal role in the host defense; upon activation, they express several specific cell surface receptors that are important in adhesion and cell signaling.