Felipe Santiago Chambergo

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a metabolic syndrome frequently associated with obesity and endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated inflammation, which can trigger the unfolded protein response (UPR), impair insulin signaling, and promote apoptosis. To identify potential natural therapeutic candidates, this study investigated the mechanisms of action of 14 compounds from Uncaria tomentosa (UT), a medicinal plant from the Amazon rainforest, using in silico modeling. The study focused on the UPR, TRAF2/JNK pro-inflammatory signaling pathway, and insulin signaling pathways, which play key roles in T2D. Some of the UT compounds were docked against several human proteins involved in these pathways, and molecular dynamics simulations confirmed stable interactions between the target proteins (PERK, TRAF2, JNK, TNF-α, IRS-1, PI3K, AKT, GSK3β, and PPARγ) and four of the UT compounds, 5-Carboxystrictosidine, Cinchonain, Epicatechin and Mitraphylline. Additionally, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties analyses were conducted to predict the four compounds, revealing suitable pharmacokinetic properties. These findings suggest that specific UT compounds may be used in experimental tests to whether investigate their therapeutic potential in managing T2D by modulating signaling pathways related to the conditions UPR, inflammation, and insulin resistance.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is associated with dyslipidemia, characterized by elevated plasmatic triglycerides and free fatty acids, particularly palmitate (PA), which may cause lipotoxicity in skeletal muscle cells. This leads to inflammation, activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), insulin resistance, and cell death. Herbal medicines such as Uncaria tomentosa (UT) have shown potential as complementary treatments for T2D due to their protective effects. Purpose and study design: This study investigates the effect of UT aqueous extract on UPR and insulin resistance induced by PA in C2C12 myotubes. C2C12 myoblasts were grown in DMEM medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and differentiated into myotubes with 3.5% horse serum. The myotubes were incubated with 100 or 500 μM PA, 2–100 µM thapsigargin (Tg) or tunicamycin (Tn), in the presence or absence of 250 μg/mL UT extract or 100 µM TUDCA, for 2 or 6 h. The myotubes treated with UT extract for 6 h, after the incubation with 20 µM Tg, Tn or 500 µM PA, presented reduction in the expression of UPR-related genes ATF4 and CHOP by approximately 1.5-fold, and increased by 3-fold the expression of IRS-1, an insulin-signaling protein, when compared to myotubes incubated with only 20 µM Tg, Tn or 500 µM PA. These findings suggest that UT extract may serve as a modulator against skeletal muscle dyslipidemia by downregulating ATF4 and CHOP, reducing cell stress and death, while enhancing IRS-1 expression, which supports the use of the UT extract in managing insulin resistance and T2D.

Background Esterases (EC 3.1.1.X) are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis ester bonds. These enzymes have large potential for diverse applications in fine industries, particularly in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and bioethanol production. Methods and results In this study, a gene encoding an esterase from Thermobifida fusca YX (TfEst) was successfully cloned, and its product was overexpressed in Escherichia coli and purified using affinity chromatography. The TfEst kinetic assay revealed catalytic efficiencies of 0.58 s⁻¹ mM⁻¹, 1.09 s⁻¹ mM⁻¹, and 0.062 s⁻¹ mM⁻¹ against p-Nitrophenyl acetate, p-Nitrophenyl butyrate, and 1-naphthyl acetate substrates, respectively. Furthermore, TfEst also exhibited activity in a pH range from 6.0 to 10.0, with maximum activity at pH 8.0. The enzyme demonstrated a half-life of 20 min at 70 °C. Notably, TfEst displayed acetyl xylan esterase activity as evidenced by the acetylated xylan assay. The structural prediction of TfEst using AlphaFold indicated that has an α/β-hydrolase fold, which is consistent with other esterases. Conclusions The enzyme stability over a broad pH range and its activity at elevated temperatures make it an appealing candidate for industrial processes. Overall, TfEst emerges as a promising enzymatic tool with significant implications for the advancement of biotechnology and biofuels industries.

Mucosal vaccination appears to be suitable to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we tested an intranasal mucosal vaccine candidate for COVID-19 that consisted of a cationic liposome containing a trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and CpG-ODNs, a Toll-like receptor 9 agonist, as an adjuvant. In vitro and in vivo experiments indicated the absence of toxicity following the intranasal administration of this vaccine formulation. First, we found that subcutaneous or intranasal vaccination protected hACE-2 transgenic mice from infection with the wild-type (Wuhan) SARS-CoV-2 strain, as shown by weight loss and mortality indicators. However, when compared with subcutaneous administration, the intranasal route was more effective in the pulmonary clearance of the virus and induced higher neutralizing antibodies and anti-S IgA titers. In addition, the intranasal vaccination afforded protection against gamma, delta, and omicron virus variants of concern. Furthermore, the intranasal vaccine formulation was superior to intramuscular vaccination with a recombinant, replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus vector encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (Oxford/AstraZeneca) in terms of virus lung clearance and production of neutralizing antibodies in serum and bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL). Finally, the intranasal liposomal formulation boosted heterologous immunity induced by previous intramuscular vaccination with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which was more robust than homologous immunity.

Mucosal vaccination appears to be suitable to protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this study, we tested an intranasal mucosal vaccine candidate to COVID-19 constituted of a cationic liposome containing a trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and CpG-ODNs, a Toll-like receptor 9 agonist, as adjuvant. In vitro and in vivo experiments indicated the absence of toxicity following the intranasal administration of this vaccine formulation. First, we found that subcutaneous or intranasal vaccination protected hACE-2 transgenic mice from infection with the wild-type (Wuhan) SARS-CoV-2 strain, as shown by weight lost and mortality indicators. However, when compared to the subcutaneous administration, the intranasal route was more effective in the pulmonary clearance of the virus and induced higher neutralizing antibodies and anti-S IgA titers. In addition, the intranasal vaccination afforded protection against gamma, delta and omicron virus variants of concern. Furthermore, the intranasal vaccine formulation was superior to intramuscular vaccination with a recombinant, replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus vector encoding the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (Oxford/AstraZeneca) in terms of virus lung clearance and production of neutralizing antibodies in serum and bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL). Finally, the intranasal liposomal formulation boosted heterologous immunity induced by previous intramuscular vaccination with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine that was more robust than homologous immunity.

Cultivated meat (CM) technology has the potential to disrupt the food industry—indeed, it is already an inevitable reality. This new technology is an alternative to solve the environmental, health and ethical issues associated with the demand for meat products. The global market longs for biotechnological improvements for the CM production chain. CM, also known as cultured, cell-based, lab-grown, in vitro or clean meat, is obtained through cellular agriculture, which is based on applying tissue engineering principles. In practice, it is first necessary to choose the best cell source and type, and then to furnish the necessary nutrients, growth factors and signalling molecules via cultivation media. This procedure occurs in a controlled environment that provides the surfaces necessary for anchor-dependent cells and offers microcarriers and scaffolds that favour the three-dimensional (3D) organisation of multiple cell types. In this review, we discuss relevant information to CM production, including the cultivation process, cell sources, medium requirements, the main obstacles to CM production (consumer acceptance, scalability, safety and reproducibility), the technological aspects of 3D models (biomaterials, microcarriers and scaffolds) and assembly methods (cell layering, spinning and 3D bioprinting). We also provide an outlook on the global CM market. Our review brings a broad overview of the CM field, providing an update for everyone interested in the topic, which is especially important because CM is a multidisciplinary technology.

Introduction: In skin traumas, such as burns, epidermal homeostasis is affected, often requiring clinical approaches. Different therapeutic strategies can be used including transplantation, besides the use of synthetic or natural materials with allogeneic cells. In this context, tissue engineering is an essential tool for skin regeneration, and using mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from the umbilical cord appears to be a promising strategy in regenerative medicine due to its renewal and differentiation potential and hypo immunogenicity. We evaluated the transdifferentiation of MSC from umbilical cord into keratinocytes in three-dimensional (3D) in vitro skin models, using dermal equivalents composed by type I collagen with dermal fibroblasts and a commercial porcine skin decellularized matrix, both cultured at air-liquid interface (ALI).Methods: The expression of epidermal proteins cytokeratins (CK) 5, 14 and 10, involucrin and filaggrin was investigated by real-time PCR and immunofluorescence, in addition to the activity of epidermal kallikreins (KLK) on the hydrolysis of fluorogenic substrates.Results and discussion: The cultivation of MSCs with differentiation medium on these dermal supports resulted in organotypic cultures characterized by the expression of the epidermal markers CK5, CK14, CK10 and involucrin, mainly on the 7^th day of culture, and filaggrin at 10^th day in ALI. Also, there was a 3-fold increase in the KLK activity in the epidermal equivalents composed by MSC induced to differentiate into keratinocytes compared to the control (MSC cultivated in the proliferation medium). Specifically, the use of collagen and fibroblasts resulted in a more organized MSC-based organotypic culture in comparison to the decellularized matrix. Despite the non-typical epithelium structure formed by MSC onto dermal equivalents, the expression of important epidermal markers in addition to the paracrine effects of these cells in skin may indicate its potential use to produce skin-based substitutes.