Whey-Derived Antimicrobial Anionic Peptide Interaction with Model Membranes and Cells.

The present work focuses on one of the possible target mechanisms of action of the anionic antimicrobial peptide β-lg derived from trypsin hydrolysis of β-lactoglobulin. After confirmation of bactericidal activity against a pathogenic Gram(+) strain and demonstration of the innocuousness on a eukaryotic cell line, we investigated the interaction of β-lg with monolayers and bilayers of dpPC and dpPC:dpPG as model membranes of eukaryotic and bacterial membranes, respectively. In monolayers, compared to zwitterionic dpPC, in the negatively charged dpPC-dpPG, β-lg injected into the subphase penetrated up to higher surface pressures and showed greater extents of penetration with increasing concentration in the subphase.

Dermatan Sulfate/Chitosan Nanoparticles Loaded with an Anti-Inflammatory Peptide Increase the Response of Human Colorectal Cancer Cells to 5-Fluorouracil.

The gold standard drug for colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment, 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), induces pharmacological tolerance in long-term management. The transcriptional factor nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) plays a key role in 5-FU resistance. The aim of this work is to study the capability of polyelectrolytes complex nanoparticles of dermatan sulfate (DS) and chitosan (CS), loaded with the anti-inflammatory tripeptide IRW, to sensitize colorectal cancer cells to 5-FU.