Proline-Modified RWn Peptides: Enhanced Antifungal Efficacy and Synergy with Conventional Antibiotics for Combating Resistant Fungal Infections.

(Ca) and (Cn) infections pose a growing threat due to rising antifungal resistance. This study explores a new class of antifungal agents, the RWn series (n = 4, 6, 8) peptides. These synthetic peptides were evaluated for their ability to inhibit Ca and Cn growth.

Interactions of an Anionic Antimicrobial Peptide with Zinc(II): Application to Bacterial Mimetic Membranes.

While the majority of known antimicrobial peptides are cationic, a small number consist of short Asp-rich sequences that are anionic. These require metal ions to become biologically active. Here, we report the study of the zinc complexes of the peptide GADDDDD (GAD5), an antimicrobial peptide.

Vesicles mimicking normal and cancer cell membranes exhibit differential responses to the cell-penetrating peptide Pep-1.

The cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) Pep-1 presents a great potential in drug delivery due to its intrinsic property to cross plasma membrane. However, its mechanism of entry into the cell remains unresolved. In this study, we compare the selectivity of Pep-1 towards vesicles mimicking normal and cancer cell membranes.

Calorimetric and Spectroscopic Studies of the Effects of the Cell Penetrating Peptide Pep-1 and the Antimicrobial Peptide Combi-2 on Vesicles Mimicking Escherichia coli Membrane.

The objective of this study is to measure and compare the effects of the cell penetrating peptide (CPP) Pep-1 and the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) combi-2 on vesicles of membranes mimicking Escherichia coli (E. coli). To characterize the effects of Pep-1 and combi-2 on E.

Chain length effect on the structure and stability of antimicrobial peptides of the (RW) series.

Three peptides containing (RW)-NH units (where n=4, 6, and 8) have been chosen to study the effect of the chain length on the structure and stability of the peptide using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Their interactions with Escherichia coli (E. coli) membrane mimetic vesicles are discussed.

Unusual structural transition of antimicrobial VP1 peptide.

VP1 peptide, an active domain of m-calpain enzyme with antimicrobial activity is found to undergo an unusual conformational transition in trifluoroethanol (TFE) solvent. The nature of, and time dependent variations in, circular dichroism associated with the amide I vibrations, suggest that VP1 undergoes self-aggregation forming anti-parallel β-sheet structure in TFE. Transmission electron micrograph (TEM) images revealed that β-sheet aggregates formed by VP1 possess fibril-like assemblies.

A vibrational study of the nature of hydroxyl groups chemical bonding in two aluminium hydroxides.

Lengths, strengths and valences of OH bonds in the two aluminium hydroxides gibbsite and bayerite were determined on the basis of vibrational spectral data. The uncoupled OD stretching modes in the range 2400-2800cm(-1) were recorded by means of infrared diffuse reflectance, thereby avoiding effects of surface, vibrational coupling or particle shape. The assignment of the corresponding Raman spectra resulted in the determination of harmonic wavenumbers, force constants and anharmonicity coefficients of bulk OH groups in the two minerals.

Direct detection of residual cyanide in cassava using spectroscopic techniques.

Fluorescence, infrared, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-visible, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques have been applied to monitor the effect of processing mode on the residual cyanogens in cassava roots. The processed samples' infrared spectra have shown that only the boiled sample contains residual cyanide. SEM micrographs have revealed that irregularly shaped granules of about 100-microm size contain cyanide, while spherical granules of about 10-microm size do not.