14 documents found, page 1 of 2
Assessing Acinetobacter baumannii virulence and treatment with a bacteriophage ...
Neto, Helena Sofia; Vieira, Ana; Oliveira, Hugo Alexandre Mendes; Espiña, BegoñaAcinetobacter baumannii is the leading bacteria causative of nosocomial infections, with high fatality rates, mostly due to their multi-resistance to antibiotics. The capsular polysaccharide (k-type) is a major virulence factor. Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect bacteria and have been used to control drug-resistant bacterial pathogens. In particular, A. baumannii phages can recognize specific ...
One-step synthesis of magnetic covalent organic framework composite for the ads...
Romero, Vanesa; Fernandes, Soraia P. S.; Gonçalves, Liliana P. L.; Oliveira, Orlando; Meledina, Maria; Strutyński, Karol; Melle-Franco, ManuelA one-step procedure is reported for the synthesis of a crystalline magnetic covalent organic framework (COF) composite. While pre-functionalization of the solid substrate with a building block prior to COF growth is typically required to obtain a crystalline COF composite, our approach uses a sub-stoichiometric amount of the diamino building block during the COF synthesis. This allows for the anchoring of the ...
A carboxyl-functionalized covalent organic polymer for the efficient adsorption...
Wang, Tianxing; Fernandes, Soraia P. S.; Araújo, Joana; Li, Xiaoxi; Salonen, Laura M.; Espiña, BegoñaSaxitoxin (STX), the most widely distributed neurotoxin in marine waters and emerging cyanotoxin of concern in freshwaters, causes paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans upon consumption of contaminated shellfish. To allow for the efficient monitoring of this biotoxin, it is of high importance to find high-affinity materials for its adsorption. Herein, we report the design and synthesis of a covalent organic p...
Innovative antibacterial, photocatalytic, titanium dioxide microstructured surf...
Vieira, Ana; Rodríguez-Lorenzo, Laura; Leonor, I. B.; Reis, R. L.; Espiña, Begoña; Santos, Marília Barreiros dosBacterial colonization and biofilm formation are found on nearly all wet surfaces, representing a serious problem for both human healthcare and industrial applications, where traditional treatments may not be effective. Herein, we describe a synergistic approach for improving the performance of antibacterial surfaces based on microstructured surfaces that embed titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs). The sur...
Protection against paraquat-induced oxidative stress by Curcuma longa extract-l...
Teixeira, Ana; Sárria, Marisa P.; Pinto, Inês; Espiña, Begoña; Gomes, Andreia C; Dias, Alberto Carlos PiresThe link between oxidative stress and environmental factors plays an important role in chronic degenerative diseases; therefore, exogenous antioxidants could be an effective alternative to combat disease progression and/or most significant symptoms. <i>Curcuma longa</i> L. (CL), commonly known as turmeric, is mostly composed of curcumin, a multivalent molecule described as having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory ...
pH-sensitive nanoliposomes for passive and CXCR-4-mediated marine yessotoxin de...
Vieira, Ana M. G.; Silvestre, Oscar F.; Silva, Bruno F. B.; Ferreira, Celso J. O.; Lopes, Ivo Edgar Araújo; Gomes, Andreia C; Espiña, BegoñaBackground: Yessotoxin (YTX), a marine-derived drug, was encapsulated in PEGylated pH-sensitive nanoliposomes, covalently functionalized (strategy I) with SDF-1α and by nonspecific adsorption (strategy II), to actively target chemokine receptor CXCR-4. Methods: Cytotoxicity to normal human epithelial cells (HK-2) and prostate (PC-3) and breast (MCF-7) adenocarcinoma models, with different expression levels of C...
Acute ecotoxicity assessment of a covalent organic framework
Passos, Marisa Sárria Pereira; Vieira, Ana; Lima, Ângela; Fernandes, S. P. S.; Lopes, Ivo Edgar Araújo; Gonçalves, Anabela Ferreira; Gomes, Andreia CCovalent organic frameworks (COFs) have recently attracted increasing interest for applications in the environmental field, and to this end, the evaluation of their potential toxicity is of importance prior to deploying these materials in the environment. Herein, we report for the first time the acute toxicity assessment of a COF using a zebrafish embryotoxicity test. We studied a TpBD-Me2 COF, a material that ...
BSA/ASN/Pol407 nanoparticles for acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment
Tinoco, Ana Catarina Malheiro; Passos, Marisa Sárria Pereira; Loureiro, Ana Isabel Sá; Parpot, Pier; Espiña, Begoña; Gomes, Andreia CDuring the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with asparaginase (ASN) there is an accumulation of ammonia in the body as result of asparagine hydrolysis. This accumulation known as hyperammonemia is one of the main side-effects of this therapy. To avoid hyperammonemia is urgent to develop new strategies for ammonia retention. Herein is presented the immobilization of ASN into bovine serum albumin/p...
Developmental neurotoxic effect of nanoparticles: towards real-time assessment ...
Magalhães, Luana; Fernandes, Mário Ismael Cardoso; Machado, Sofia; Gonçalves, Anabela Ferreira; Espiña, Begoña; Passos, Marisa Sárria PereiraExposure to neurotoxic agents during embryonic development can cause irreparable short- and long-term damage to vertebrates, including for humans, as it may affect the central nervous system (CNS) and the blood brain barrier (BBB)[1]. The reported CNS susceptibility during embryogenesis suggests that there may be a critical window of exposure during brain development. Nowadays, therapies using nanoparticles are...
Biocompatibility and bioimaging potential of fruit-based carbon dots
Dias, Cindy; Vasimalai, Nagamalai; Sárria, Marisa P.; Pinheiro, Ivone; Vilas-Boas, Vânia; Peixoto, J.; Espiña, BegoñaPhoto-luminescent carbon dots (CD) have become promising nanomaterials and their synthesis from natural products has attracted attention by the possibility of making the most of affordable, sustainable and, readily-available carbon sources. Here, we report on the synthesis, characterization and bioimaging potential of CDs produced from diverse extensively produced fruits: kiwi, avocado and pear. The in vitro cy...