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Sturabotti E, Camilli A, Georgian Moldoveanu V, Bonincontro G, Simonetti G, Valletta A, Serangeli I, Miranda E, Amato F, Giacomo Marrani A, Migneco LM, Sennato S, Simonis B, Vetica F, Leonelli F. Targeting the Antifungal Activity of Carbon Dots against Candida albicans Biofilm Formation by Tailoring Their Surface Functional Groups. Chemistry 2023:e202303631. [PMID: 38059669 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202303631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Carbon dots (CDs) are an emerging class of carbon nanoparticles, which for their characteristics have found applications in many fields such as catalysis, materials and biomedicine. Within this context, the application of CDs as antibacterial agents has received much attention in very recent years, while their use as antifungal nanoparticles has been scarcely investigated. Here we report a systematic investigation of the surface functional groups of CDs to study their influence on these nanoparticles' against Candida albicans. Three classes of CDs have been synthesised and fully characterized. A thorough in vitro and in vivo biological screening against C. albicans was performed to test their antifungal, antiadhesion and antibiofilm formation activities. Moreover, the interaction with C. albicans cells was investigated by microscopic analysis. Our results evidence how the presence of a positively polarised surface results crucial for the internalization into COS-7 cells. Positively charged nanoparticles were also able to inhibit adhesion and biofilm formation, to interact with the cellular membrane of C. albicans, and to increase the survival of G. mellonella infected larvae after the injection with positive nanoparticles. The antifungal activity of CDs and their extremely low toxicity may represent a new strategy to combat infections sustained by C.albicans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Sturabotti
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy, URL
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Alessandro Camilli
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy, URL
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Vyali Georgian Moldoveanu
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy, URL
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Graziana Bonincontro
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Simonetti
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessio Valletta
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Serangeli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Miranda
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Amato
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy, URL
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Andrea Giacomo Marrani
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy, URL
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Luisa Maria Migneco
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy, URL
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Simona Sennato
- CNR-Institute of Complex Systems (ISC)- Sede Sapienza c/o Physics Department, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, Rome, Italy
| | - Beatrice Simonis
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy, URL
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
- Institute for Biological Systems (ISB), Italian National Research Council (CNR), Sede secondaria di Roma - Meccanismi di Reazione, c/o Dipartimento di Chimica, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Vetica
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy, URL
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
| | - Francesca Leonelli
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy, URL
- Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials (CIC biomaGUNE), Paseo de Miramón 194, Donostia-San Sebastián, 20014, Spain
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Sturabotti E, Moldoveanu VG, Camilli A, Martinelli A, Simonetti G, Valletta A, Serangeli I, Giustini A, Miranda E, Migneco LM, Vetica F, Leonelli F. Thymol-Functionalized Hyaluronic Acid as Promising Preservative Biomaterial for the Inhibition of Candida albicans Biofilm Formation. ACS Macro Lett 2023; 12:1079-1084. [PMID: 37462451 PMCID: PMC10433527 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.3c00208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring biopolymer that has been employed for a plethora of medicinal applications. Nevertheless, as HA is a natural polysaccharide, it can be a substrate able to promote microbial growth and proliferation. Biopolymer-drug conjugates have gained attention over the years to overcome drawbacks of each single component. Within this context, thymol (Thy), a phenolic compound occurring in essential oils (EOs) extracted from Thymus and Origanum, has been largely studied for its antimycotic applications. However, it is characterized by a low water solubility and moderate cytotoxicity. Herein, we report an innovative HA-thymol conjugate (HA-Thy) biomaterial to circumvent the drawbacks of free thymol use by providing the polymer conjugate with the beneficial properties of both components. Preliminary biological tests evidenced the decrease of thymol cytotoxicity for the HA-Thy conjugate, paired with a promising antibiofilm formation activity against Candida albicans, similar to pure thymol, highlighting its potential application as a preservative biomaterial in formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Sturabotti
- Department
of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Alessandro Camilli
- Department
of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Martinelli
- Department
of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Simonetti
- Department
of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University
of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessio Valletta
- Department
of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University
of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Ilaria Serangeli
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Giustini
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Miranda
- Department
of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Luisa Maria Migneco
- Department
of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Vetica
- Department
of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Leonelli
- Department
of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Sturabotti E, Vetica F, Toscano G, Calcaterra A, Martinelli A, Migneco LM, Leonelli F. N-Acetyl-l-phenylalanine Racemization during TBTU Amidation: An In-Depth Study for the Synthesis of Anti-Inflammatory 2-( N-Acetyl)-l-phenylalanylamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose (NAPA). Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28020581. [PMID: 36677671 PMCID: PMC9863357 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28020581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
A thorough study on the amidation conditions of N-acetyl-l-phenylalanine using TBTU and various bases is reported for the synthesis of 2-(N-acetyl)-l-phenylalanylamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose (NAPA), a promising drug for the treatment of joints diseases. TBTU-mediated diastereoselective amidation reaction with 1,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-glucosamine always gave racemization of N-acetyl-l-phenylalanine. The stereochemical retention under amidation conditions was studied in detail in the presence of difference bases and via other control experiments, evidencing the possibility to reduce racemization using pyridine as base.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Sturabotti
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (E.S.); (A.C.); (F.L.)
| | - Fabrizio Vetica
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgia Toscano
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Calcaterra
- Department of Chemistry and Technology of Drugs, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (E.S.); (A.C.); (F.L.)
| | - Andrea Martinelli
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Luisa Maria Migneco
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Leonelli
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (E.S.); (A.C.); (F.L.)
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Di Consiglio M, Sturabotti E, Brugnoli B, Piozzi A, Migneco LM, Francolini I. Synthesis of sustainable eugenol/hydroxyethylmethacrylate-based polymers with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Polym Chem 2023. [DOI: 10.1039/d2py01183b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Eugenol is a phenolic monoterpenoid, emplyed in this study to obtain bio-based antimicrobial and antioxidant methacrylate polymers.
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De Felice AC, Di Lisio V, Francolini I, Mariano A, Piozzi A, Scotto d’Abusco A, Sturabotti E, Martinelli A. One-Pot Preparation of Hydrophilic Polylactide Porous Scaffolds by Using Safe Solvent and Choline Taurinate Ionic Liquid. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14010158. [PMID: 35057053 PMCID: PMC8779115 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14010158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Polylactides (PLAs) are a class of polymers that are very appealing in biomedical applications due to their degradability in nontoxic products, tunable structural, and mechanical properties. However, they have some drawbacks related to their high hydrophobicity, lack of functional groups able to graft bioactive molecules, and solubility in unsafe solvents. To circumvent these shortcomings, porous scaffolds for tissue engineering were prepared by vigorously mixing a solution of isotactic and atactic PLA in nontoxic ethyl acetate at 70 °C with a water solution of choline taurinate. The partial aminolysis of the polymer ester bonds by taurine –NH2 brought about the formation of PLA oligomers with surfactant activity that stabilized the water-in-oil emulsion. Upon drying, a negligible shrinking occurred, and mechanically stable porous scaffolds were obtained. By varying the polymer composition and choline taurinate concentration, it was possible to modulate the pore dimensions (30–50 µm) and mechanical properties (Young’s moduli: 1–6 MPa) of the samples. Furthermore, the grafted choline taurinate made the surface of the PLA films hydrophilic, as observed by contact angle measurements (advancing contact angle: 76°; receding contact angle: 40°–13°). The preparation method was very simple because it was based on a one-pot mild reaction that did not require an additional purification step, as all the employed chemicals were nontoxic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Clara De Felice
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.C.D.F.); (V.D.L.); (I.F.); (A.P.)
| | - Valerio Di Lisio
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.C.D.F.); (V.D.L.); (I.F.); (A.P.)
| | - Iolanda Francolini
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.C.D.F.); (V.D.L.); (I.F.); (A.P.)
| | - Alessia Mariano
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.M.); (A.S.d.)
| | - Antonella Piozzi
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.C.D.F.); (V.D.L.); (I.F.); (A.P.)
| | - Anna Scotto d’Abusco
- Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.M.); (A.S.d.)
| | - Elisa Sturabotti
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.C.D.F.); (V.D.L.); (I.F.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence: (E.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Andrea Martinelli
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.C.D.F.); (V.D.L.); (I.F.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence: (E.S.); (A.M.)
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