Octávio L Franco

Universidade Católica Dom Bosco (UCDB) · Department of Biotechnology

The functional organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers (hNFs) have recently attracted considerable attention due to enhanced catalytic activity and stability. The main purpose of this study is to synthesize new Fenton reagents and investigate their catalytic activity, dye degradation performance and antimicrobial activity. This magnetic gallic acid na...

This Research Topic 'Community series in Antimicrobial Peptides: Molecular Design, Structure Function Relationship and Biosynthesis Optimization' (https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/31022/community-series-in-antimicrobial-peptides-molecular-design-structure-function-relationship-and-biosynthesis-optimization) is the second volume of its pr...

Patients with respiratory viral infections are more likely to develop co-infections leading to increased fatality. Mucormycosis is an epidemic amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that conveys a ‘double threat’ to the global health fraternity. Mucormycosis is caused by the Mucorales group of fungi and exhibits acute angioinvasion generally in immunocomprom...

Introduction: Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) have received particular attention due to their capacity to kill bacteria. Although much is known about them, peptides are currently being further researched. A large number of AMPs have been discovered, but only a few have been approved for topical use, due to their promiscuity and other challenges, whic...

The developments in the food supply chain to support the growing population of the world is one of today’s most pressing issues, and to achieve this goal improvements should be performed in both crops and microbes. For this purpose, novel approaches such as genome editing (GE) methods have upgraded the biological sciences for genome manipulation an...

Bacterial resistance is a threat to health worldwide, mainly due to reduced effective treatment. In this context, the search for strategies to control such infections and suppress antimicrobial resistance is necessary. One of the strategies that has been used is combination therapy. In the present work, we investigated the in vitro efficacy of the...

Klotho is an anti-aging protein with several therapeutic roles in the pathophysiology of different organs, such as the skeletal muscle and kidneys. Available evidence suggests that exercise increases Klotho levels, regardless of the condition or intervention, shedding some light on this anti-aging protein as an emergent and promising exerkine. Deve...

The emergence of bacterial resistance has reduced the efficacy of conventional antibiotics. As promising therapeutic candidates to treat infections, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) emerge as an alternative for the control of microorganisms. AMPs have been found in several sources, including animals, plants and fungi, constituting early host defense a...

The main effectors in the innate immune system of Bombyx mori L. are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Here, we infected B. mori with varied inoculum sizes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 25668 cells to investigate changes in morpho-anatomical responses, physiological processes and AMP production. Ultraviolet-visible spectra revealed a sharp change in...

The increase in resistance to conventional antimicrobials in recent years has boosted the search for new antibiotics to treat serious infectious diseases, especially those generated by multi-resistant bacteria. In this context, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are alternative molecules for use as new therapeutic agents. AMPs are small bioactive protei...

Silk produced by silkworms or spiders offers biocompatibility, biodegradability, stability, and biomechanical strength, making it an excellent biomaterial for wound bandages/dressings and skin grafts. Silk scaffolds are also bioactive matrices necessary to restore the healing cascade and barrier properties that induce skin organogenesis in chronic...

Structural diversity drives multiple biological activities and mechanisms of action in linear peptides. Here we describe an unusual N-capping asparagine-lysine-proline (NKP) motif that confers a hybrid multifunctional scaffold to a computationally designed peptide (PaDBS1R7). PaDBS1R7 has a shorter a-helix segment than other computationally designe...

Antimicrobial peptides are small molecules, up to 10 kDa, present in all kingdoms of life, including in plants. Several studies report that these molecules have a broad spectrum of activity, including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and insecticidal activity. Thus, they can be employed in agriculture as alternative tools for phytopathogen and...

Obesity is one of the major pandemics of the 21st century. Due to its multifactorial etiology, its treatment requires several actions, including dietary intervention and physical exercise. Excessive fat accumulation leads to several health problems involving alteration in the gut-microbiota-brain axis. This axis is characterized by multiple biologi...

Trichoderma reesei has been explored intensively in the laboratory and on an industrial scale for its highly potent cellulase secretion machinery since its characterization over 70 years ago. Emergence of new genetic tools over the past decade has strengthened the understanding of mechanism involved in transcription of cellulase genes in fungi and...

Plants subjected to phytopathogens can synthesize peptides with antimicrobial properties. In the last few decades, there has been an impressive increase in the prospection of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) due to continuous demand for the development and manufacture of new antibiotics. In this setting, plants have attracted scientific and pharmaceut...

Synoeca‐MP is a 14‐residue amidated peptide, belongs to the mastoparan family and it is found in the venom of the wasp Synoeca surinama and has antibacterial and antifungal activity. The low cytotoxicity of the peptide also makes it an excellent candidate for drug development. To better understand its selectivity and interaction with the membrane,...

Streptomyces are powerhouses for a diverse range of secondary metabolites, including antibiotics, anticancer and immunosuppressive agents and enzymes. Here, we report the genome sequence of Streptomyces sp. PSAA01 isolated from a soil sample taken in Manas National Park, Assam, in the Eastern Himalayan foothills of India.

Aging is a natural process of organism deterioration, which possibly impairs multiple physiological functions. These harmful effects are linked to an accumulation of somatic mutations, oxidative stress, low-grade inflammation, protein damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction. It is known that these factors are capable of inducing telomere shortening,...

The increasing number of multidrug resistance microorganisms is an alarming threat, and their rapid detection is essential to prevent nosocomial, foodborne, or waterborne infections. Many peptides derived from the venom of wasp Synoeca surinama have antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Synoeca-MP, an antimicrobia...

In the last few decades, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been a worldwide concern. The excessive use of antibiotics affects animal and human health. In the last few years, livestock production has used antibiotics as food supplementation. This massive use can be considered a principal factor in the accelerated development of genetic modification...

Rice blast, caused by Pyricularia oryzae, is one of the most destructive diseases in agriculture leading to severe impacts on rice crop harvests worldwide. In a previous study, we showed that rice genes OsDjA2 and OsERF104, encoding a chaperone protein and an APETELA2/ethylene-responsive factor, respectively, were strongly induced in a compatible i...

This research is an endeavor to extend the understanding of factors implicated in the pathogenicity of Mycoplasma arginini (M. arginini) and Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovipneumoniae). It shed light on the current knowledge gap in the role of two potential virulence determinants viz H 2 S production and catalase activity, for their possible roles...

Several antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been reported in amphibian toxins, as temporin‐PTa from Hylarana picturata. The amino acids distribution within a helical structure of AMPs favors the design of new bioactive peptides. Therefore, this work reports the rational design of two new synthetic peptides denominated Hp‐MAP1 and Hp‐MAP2 derived fro...

The uncontrollable spread of superbugs calls for new approaches in dealing with microbial-antibiotic resistance. Accordingly, the anti-virulence approach has arisen as an attractive unconventional strategy to face multidrug-resistant pathogens. As an emergent strategy, there is an imperative demand for discovery, design, and development of anti-vir...

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are biopolymers formed by amino acid sequences derived from tropoelastin. These biomolecules can be soluble below critical temperatures, forming aggregates at higher temperatures, which makes them an interesting source for the design of different nanobiomaterials. These nanobiomaterials can be obtained from heterolo...

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculate L. Walp) is a legume of great economic importance, however it is highly affected by nematodes. The present work aimed to identify proteins and genes involved in nematode resistance by proteomic and transcriptomic analysis. Plants of a genotype resistant (31CE) to root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) were collected 12 days...

Silkworm pupae (SWP), a major by-product of the silk reeling industry, can be used as an alternative dietary supplement with high nutritional and therapeutic value. For every 1 Kg of raw silk approximately 8.014 Kg wet and 2 Kg of dry SWP as a waste by-product. SWP consists of 18 amino acids which include all the essential amino acids, proteins (~6...

Background: Klotho is an anti-aging protein with several therapeutic roles in the pathophysiology of different organs, such as the skeletal muscle and kidneys. Available evidence suggests that exercise increases Klotho levels, regardless of the condition or intervention, shedding some light on this anti-aging protein as an emergent and promising ex...

Multifunctional scaffolds with host defense peptides designed for regenerative endodontics are desirable nano-biotechnological tools for dentistry. Here, different scaffolds were tested for use during the pulp revascularization process, including poly(vinyl alcohol)-PVA hydrogels or resins, collagen hydrogels and poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA/ Chitosan (...

Aims We evaluated the role of intergenerational paternal exercise on fibrosis, inflammatory profile, and redox status in the adipose tissue of male rat offspring fed with high-fat diet (HFD) and explored to what extent programming affects the systemic metabolic profile. Main methods Adult wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: sedentar...

Objective Investigate the effects of long-term resistance training (RT) on expression of the four selected microRNAs (miRNA or mir) and further association with biomarkers related to functional performance in older end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods Twenty-five older hemodialysis patients (glomerular filtratio...

Increasing levels of resistance to conventional antibiotics have led to a search for new therapeutic options against bacterial infections. Klebsiella pneumoniae is considered a world health problem due to high levels of mortality associated with resistance to multiple antibiotics. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have showed activity against this bact...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are present in all organisms and can present several activities and potential applications in human and animal health. Screening these molecules scaffolds represents a key point for discovering and developing novel biotechnological products, including antimicrobial, antiviral and anticancer drugs candidates and insectic...

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the association between glycemic control status in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and apical periodontitis. Methods Twenty-seven patients were involved in this study. The survey was based on anamnesis, intra and extra oral examination and radiographic evaluation. Diabetes mellitus information involv...

A presente invenção descreve uma composição nanofibrosa de PVA/quitosana e incorporadas com antibiótico e peptídeo de defesa do hospedeiro. Especificamente, a presente invenção compreende uma formulação contendo nanofibras constituídas de PVA a 69,5% e quitosana a 29,5% (peso seco), produzidas pela técnica de eletrospinning. À estas nanofibras fora...

Among the various biological properties presented by Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), their ability to control the immune response and fight pathogen infection through the production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been the subject of intense research in recent years. AMPs secreted by MSCs exhibit activity against a wide range of microorganisms...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are pinpointed as promising molecules against antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Nevertheless, there is a discrepancy between the AMP sequences generated and the tangible outcomes in clinical trials. AMPs’ limitations include enzymatic degradation, chemical/physical instability and toxicity toward healthy human...

Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have been administered in livestock for decades to improve food digestion in growing animals, while also contributing to the control of microbial pathogens. The long-term and indiscrimate use of AGPs has generated genetic modifications in bacteria, leading to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which can be disseminat...

O livro “Ciências da saúde no mundo contemporâneo vol.2”, publicado pela Reflexão Acadêmica Editora, é uma coletânea que une onze capítulos que discorrem sobre temas relacionados com as diversas áreas da saúde. Assim, os trabalhos discutem, avaliação da função vestibular, que visa analisar exames usado para avalição clínica da mesma. Hiperglicemia...

Nanoparticles (NPs) have provided significant advances in science in the last few decades. This success is linked to chemical, physical, and biological properties, and they are widely used in different fields such as medicine, agriculture, and electronics. This versatility has led industries to increase interest in the production of NPs. Although t...

Functional clinical nutrition is an integrative science; it uses dietary strategies, functional foods and medicinal plants, as well as combinations thereof. Both functional foods and medicinal plants, whether associated or not, form nutraceuticals, which can bring benefits to health, in addition to being included in the prevention and treatment of...

Antibiotics are essential molecules for the treatment and prophylaxis of many infectious diseases. However, drugs that combat microbial infections can become a human health threat due to their high and often indiscriminate consumption, considered one of the factors of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emergence. The AMR crisis, the decrease in new dru...

Oceanic environments are one of the largest sources of bioactive molecules, due to the high degree of biodiversity and the innumerable ecological relationships established between macro and microorganisms found in the different ecosystems of these complex environments. Marine organisms are being studied increasingly because they are considered impo...

High-protein diets (HPDs) are widely accepted as a way to stimulate muscle protein synthesis when combined with resistance training (RT). However, the effects of HPDs on adipose tissue plasticity and local inflammation are yet to be determined. This study investigated the impact of HPDs on glucose control, adipocyte size, and epididymal adipose inf...

Aim To evaluate in vitro whether MTA Repair HP can induce repair processes at a distance, including its effects on biofilm, cell viability, migration, production of TGF-β, phosphate and ALP, evaluated through MTA diluted extracts. Methodology Initially, antibacterial tests were performed with the bacterium Streptococcus mutans (ATCC 25175) in the...

Early plants began colonizing earth about 450 million years ago. During the process of coevolution, their metabolic cellular pathways produced a myriad of natural chemicals, many of which remain uncharacterized biologically. Popular preparations containing some of these molecules have been used medicinally for thousands of years. In Brazilian folk...

New set of Ru-N-Heterocyclic Carbene (Ru-NHC) complexes 1a and 2a were synthesized from their ligand precursors 1-Methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl-2H-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-4-ylium hexafluorophosphate (1) and 1-Methyl-2-pyrimidin-2-yl-2H-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-4-ylium hexafluorophosphate (2). The molecules were characterized and their structures were investigat...

Objectives The present study aimed to identify proteins obtained from pulp tissue and correlate with each clinical diagnosis (healthy pulp, inflamed pulp, and necrotic pulp). Materials and methods A total of forty-five molars were used. Three biological replicas were evaluated. Lysis and sonication were used for protein extraction. Protein quantif...

Klebsiella pneumoniae causes common and severe hospital- and community-acquired infections with a high incidence of multidrug resistance (MDR) and mortality. In this study, we investigated the ability of the antisense peptide nucleic acids (PNA) conjugated to the (KFF)3K cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) to target the gyrA KPC-producing K. pneumoniae...

Infectious diseases are a worldwide concern. They are responsible for increasing the mortality rate and causing economic and social problems. Viral epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, force the scientific community to consider molecules with antiviral activity. A number of viral infections still do not have a vaccine or efficien...

Purpose The field of human medicine is in a constant state of evolution, developing and incorporating technological advances from diverse scientific fields. In recent years, cellular and gene therapies have come of age, challenging regulatory agencies to define the path for commercial registration. Approval necessarily demands robust evidence for s...

Endurance-sport athletes have a high incidence of gastrointestinal disorders, compromising performance and impacting overall health status. An increase in several proinflammatory cytokines and proteins (LPS, I-FABP, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-γ, C-reactive protein) has been observed in ultramarathoners and triathlon athletes. One of the most common ef...

Plant AMPs are usually cysteine-rich, and can be classified in several classes, including lipid transfer proteins (LTPs). LTPs are small plant cationic peptides, and can be classified in two subclasses, LTP1 (9-10 kDa) and LTP2 (7 kDa). They have been identified and isolated from various plant species and can be involved in a number of processes, i...

Background Amylin is a 37-amino-acid peptide hormone co-secreted with insulin, which participates in glucose homeostasis. This hormone is able to aggregate in a β-sheet conformation and deposit in islet amyloids, a hallmark in type II diabetes. Since amylin is a gene-encoded hormone, this peptide has variants caused by point mutations that can impa...

Aim: Several systemic diseases, such as periodontitis and apical periodontitis, can cause extensive bone resorption. Host defense peptides may have the potential for the development of novel therapies for the bone resorption process. This study evaluated the potential of host defense peptides clavanins A, MO, and LL-37 in in vitro osteoclastogenesi...

Background & aims The gut microbiome is an essential factor for the health of the host. Several factors may alter the gut's microbiota composition, including genetic factors, lifestyle, aging, and dietary intervention. This process can be an essential element in the prevention and treatment of diseases associated with microbiome dysfunction through...

Bacterial infections caused by intracellular pathogens are difficult to control. Conventional antibiotic therapies are often ineffective, as high doses are needed to increase the number of antibiotics that will cross the host cell membrane to act on the intracellular bacterium. Moreover, higher doses of antibiotics may lead to elevated severe toxic...

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest challenges of our time. This global health problem originated from a paucity of truly effective antibiotic classes and an increased incidence of multi-drug-resistant bacterial isolates in hospitals worldwide. Indeed, it has been recently estimated that 10 million people will die annually from drug-resist...

Engine oil used in automobiles is a threat to soil and water due to the recalcitrant properties of its hydrocarbons. It pollutes surrounding environment which affects both flora and fauna. Microbes can degrade hydrocarbons contain-ing engine oil and utilize it as a substrate for their growth. Our results demonstrated that cell-free broth of Bacillu...

Engine oil used in automobiles is a threat to soil and water due to the recalcitrant properties of its hydrocarbons. It pollutes surrounding environment which affects both flora and fauna. Microbes can degrade hydrocarbons containing engine oil and utilize it as a substrate for their growth. Our results demonstrated that cell-free broth of Bacillus...

Biofilm-forming bacteria may be 10−1000 times more resistant to antibiotics than planktonic bacteria and represent about 75% of bacterial infections in humans. Antibiofilm treatments are scarce, and no effective therapies have been reported so far. In this context, antibiofilm peptides (ABPs) represent an exciting class of agents with potent activi...

Objectives The number of bacterial pathogens resistant to the currently available antibiotics has dramatically increased, with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) being among the most promising potential new drugs. In this study, the applicability and mechanisms of action of Pa-MAP 2 and Pa-MAP 1.9, two AMPs synthetically designed based on a natural AMP...

Physical inactivity is associated with an increased risk of morbidity and the development of chronic non-communicable diseases such as obesity and hypertension. Adverse changes in the gut microbiota composition affect the intestinal lumen's integrity and permeability, stimulating endotoxemia and low-grade systemic inflammation, contributing factors...

A new Ru-N-heterocyclic carbene (Ru-NHC) complex (3a), chloro(p-cymene)-1-methyl-3-pyrimidylimidazolideneruthenium(II)-hexafluorophosphate was synthesized from a non-annulated NHC precursor,1-methyl-3-pyrimidylimidazoli umhexafluorophosphate (3). The half-sandwich geometry of the molecule is established with single crystals X-ray diffraction. The a...

Type I and Type II pneumocytes are two forms of epithelial cells found lining the alveoli in the lungs. Type II pneumocytes exclusively secrete ‘pulmonary surfactants’, a lipo-protein complex made up of 90% lipids (mainly phospholipids) and 10% surfactant proteins (SP-A, SP-B, SP-C, and SP-D). Respiratory diseases like influenza, SARS-CoV and SARS-...

Dental pulp is a specialized tissue able to respond to infectious processes. Nevertheless, infection progress and root canal colonization trigger an immune-inflammatory response in tooth-surrounding tissues, leading to apical periodontitis and bone tissue destruction, further contributing to tooth loss. In order to shed some light on the effects of...