1
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Fagnani E, Cocomazzi P, Pellegrino S, Tedeschi G, Scalvini FG, Cossu F, Da Vela S, Aliverti A, Mastrangelo E, Milani M. CHCHD4 binding affects the active site of apoptosis inducing factor (AIF): Structural determinants for allosteric regulation. Structure 2024; 32:594-602.e4. [PMID: 38460521 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2024.02.008] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), which is confined to mitochondria of normal healthy cells, is the first identified caspase-independent cell death effector. Moreover, AIF is required for the optimal functioning of the respiratory chain machinery. Recent findings have revealed that AIF fulfills its pro-survival function by interacting with CHCHD4, a soluble mitochondrial protein which promotes the entrance and the oxidative folding of different proteins in the inner membrane space. Here, we report the crystal structure of the ternary complex involving the N-terminal 27-mer peptide of CHCHD4, NAD+, and AIF harboring its FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide) prosthetic group in oxidized form. Combining this information with biophysical and biochemical data on the CHCHD4/AIF complex, we provide a detailed structural description of the interaction between the two proteins, validated by both chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry analysis and site-directed mutagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Fagnani
- Biophysics Institute, CNR-IBF, Via Corti 12, 20133 Milan, Italy; Department of Bioscience, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Cocomazzi
- Biophysics Institute, CNR-IBF, Via Corti 12, 20133 Milan, Italy; Department of Bioscience, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Gabriella Tedeschi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (DIVAS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell'Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy; Cimaina, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Grassi Scalvini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (DIVAS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell'Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Federica Cossu
- Biophysics Institute, CNR-IBF, Via Corti 12, 20133 Milan, Italy; Department of Bioscience, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Da Vela
- Hochschule Bremerhaven, Karlstadt 8, 27568 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Alessandro Aliverti
- Department of Bioscience, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Eloise Mastrangelo
- Biophysics Institute, CNR-IBF, Via Corti 12, 20133 Milan, Italy; Department of Bioscience, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Mario Milani
- Biophysics Institute, CNR-IBF, Via Corti 12, 20133 Milan, Italy; Department of Bioscience, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
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2
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Chiesa E, Anastasi F, Clerici F, Lumina EM, Genta I, Pellegrino S, Gelmi ML. Stereochemical Behavior of Pyrrolo-Pyrazole Peptidomimetics Promoting Phase-Selective Supramolecular Organogels. Gels 2024; 10:263. [PMID: 38667682 PMCID: PMC11049432 DOI: 10.3390/gels10040263] [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: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Supramolecular gels were developed by taking advantage of an assembly of small dipeptides containing pyrrolo-pyrazole scaffolds. The dipeptides were prepared through a robust and ecofriendly synthetic approach from the commercially available starting materials of diazoalkanes and maleimides. By playing with the functionalization of the scaffold, the choice of the natural amino acid, and the stereochemistry, we were able to obtain phase-selective gels. In particular, one peptidomimetic showed gelation ability and thermoreversibility in aromatic solvents at very low concentrations. Rheology tests showed a typical viscoelastic solid profile, indicating the formation of strong gels that were stable under high mechanical deformation. NMR studies were performed, allowing us to determine the conformational and stereochemical features at the base of the supramolecular interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrica Chiesa
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (E.C.)
| | - Francesco Anastasi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy; (F.A.); (E.M.L.)
| | - Francesca Clerici
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy; (F.A.); (E.M.L.)
| | - Edoardo Mario Lumina
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy; (F.A.); (E.M.L.)
| | - Ida Genta
- Department of Drug Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 12, 27100 Pavia, Italy; (E.C.)
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy; (F.A.); (E.M.L.)
| | - Maria Luisa Gelmi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy; (F.A.); (E.M.L.)
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3
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Antoniou AI, Pesenti M, Crespi S, Shenoy DS, Penconi M, Bossi A, Pellegrino S. Aggregation-Induced Enhanced Emission of Tetraphenylethene-phenylalanine Hybrids: Synthesis and Characterization. J Org Chem 2024; 89:4733-4740. [PMID: 38520355 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.3c02969] [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: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Aggregation-induced emitting (AIE) luminophores are sensitive and easy-to-handle types of probes that allow driving a stimulus-responsive off/on optical tool through the manipulation of the aggregation behavior. In this work, tetraphenylethene (TPE)-phenylalanine derivatives, characterized by strong aggregation-induced luminescence, were obtained through Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. The reaction proved to be straightforwardly applicable in the single amino acid synthesis as well as in the late-stage peptide functionalization by means of both the classical solution-phase reaction and solid-phase synthesis. A comprehensive structural and analytical investigation highlighted the features driving the self-assembly process and its relationship to AIE efficiency. In particular, we showed that the simple slight (asymmetric) extension of the TPE π-systems results in more efficient and brighter emissions, with respect to the simple TPE system itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia I Antoniou
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, IT-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Michela Pesenti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, IT-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Stefania Crespi
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra Ardito Desio, Università degli Studi di Milano, IT-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Dhriti S Shenoy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, IT-20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Penconi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR-SCITEC; Photoactive Molecular Materials & Devices Group, IT-20138 Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Bossi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR-SCITEC; Photoactive Molecular Materials & Devices Group, IT-20138 Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, IT-20133 Milan, Italy
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4
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Peqini K, Attanasio S, Feni L, Cappelletti G, Pellegrino S. Breaking down and building up alpha-synuclein: An insight on its N-terminal domain. J Pept Sci 2024; 30:e3556. [PMID: 38037257 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3556] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Alpha-synuclein (αSyn) is a small presynaptic protein (14 kDa) that is involved in synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease (PD). In its native state, the αSyn monomer exists in an unfolded state, and its folding is highly dependent on variations of environmental conditions, mutations and interactions with endogenous and/or exogenous molecules. Recently, there is increasing evidence for a direct interplay between αSyn and microtubules (MTs), whose defects are linked to neurodegenerative diseases, such as PD. Understanding the correlation between αSyn and MTs could be fundamental for the correct comprehension of the undergoing mechanisms of PD. Hence, we chemically synthesized a library of peptides, deriving from both native and PD mutated sequences of the N-terminal domain of αSyn. Their secondary structure was characterized by circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) experiments, in order to evaluate the effect of PD mutations. Finally, the kinetics of polymerizing tubulin in vitro in the presence of the peptides was evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaliroi Peqini
- DISFARM, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Simone Attanasio
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucia Feni
- DISFARM, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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5
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Pellegrino S, Fonti R, Vallone C, Morra R, Matano E, De Placido S, Del Vecchio S. Coefficient of Variation in Metastatic Lymph Nodes Determined by 18F-FDG PET/CT in Patients with Advanced NSCLC: Combination with Coefficient of Variation in Primary Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:279. [PMID: 38254770 PMCID: PMC10813913 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020279] [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: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose The aim of the present study was to test whether the coefficient of variation (CoV) of 18F-FDG PET/CT images of metastatic lymph nodes and primary tumors may predict clinical outcome in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods Fifty-eight NSCLC patients who had undergone 18F-FDG PET/CT at diagnosis were evaluated. SUVmax, SUVmean, CoV, MTV and TLG were determined in targeted lymph nodes and corresponding primary tumors along with Total MTV (MTVTOT) and Whole-Body TLG (TLGWB) of all malignant lesions. Univariate analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards regression whereas the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were used for survival analysis. Results Fifty-eight metastatic lymph nodes were analyzed and average values of SUVmax, SUVmean, CoV, MTV and TLG were 11.89 ± 8.54, 4.85 ± 1.90, 0.37 ± 0.16, 46.16 ± 99.59 mL and 256.84 ± 548.27 g, respectively, whereas in primary tumors they were 11.92 ± 6.21, 5.47 ± 2.34, 0.36 ± 0.14, 48.03 ± 64.45 mL and 285.21 ± 397.95 g, respectively. At univariate analysis, overall survival (OS) was predicted by SUVmax (p = 0.0363), SUVmean (p = 0.0200) and CoV (p = 0.0139) of targeted lymph nodes as well as by CoV of primary tumors (p = 0.0173), MTVTOT (p = 0.0007), TLGWB (p = 0.0129) and stage (p = 0.0122). Using Kaplan-Meier analysis, OS was significantly better in patients with CoV of targeted lymph nodes ≤ 0.29 than those with CoV > 0.29 (p = 0.0147), meanwhile patients with CoV of primary tumors > 0.38 had a better prognosis compared to those with CoV ≤ 0.38 (p = 0.0137). Finally, we combined the CoV values of targeted lymph nodes and primary tumors in all possible arrangements and a statistically significant difference was found among the four survival curves (p = 0.0133). In particular, patients with CoV of targeted lymph nodes ≤ 0.29 and CoV of primary tumors > 0.38 had the best prognosis. Conclusions The CoV of targeted lymph nodes combined with the CoV of primary tumors can predict prognosis of NSCLC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (R.F.); (C.V.)
| | - Rosa Fonti
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (R.F.); (C.V.)
| | - Carlo Vallone
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (R.F.); (C.V.)
| | - Rocco Morra
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (R.M.); (E.M.); (S.D.P.)
| | - Elide Matano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (R.M.); (E.M.); (S.D.P.)
| | - Sabino De Placido
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (R.M.); (E.M.); (S.D.P.)
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (R.F.); (C.V.)
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6
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Pellegrino S, Fonti R. A look into the future: the role of PSMA beyond prostate cancer. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2023; 51:278-280. [PMID: 37563353 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-023-06388-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy.
| | - Rosa Fonti
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy
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7
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Colombo E, Aydın EM, Canıtez İS, Polito L, Penconi M, Bossi A, Impresari E, Passarella D, Dallavalle S, Athanassopoulos CM, Pellegrino S, Şahin ID, Christodoulou MS. Tetraphenylethylene-Based Photoluminescent Self-Assembled Nanoparticles: Preparation and Biological Evaluation. ACS Med Chem Lett 2023; 14:1472-1477. [PMID: 37849561 PMCID: PMC10577884 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00396] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The conjugation of tetraphenylethylene (TPE) with podophyllotoxin, N-desacetylthiocolchicine, and cabazitaxel through a sebacic acid linker led to the formation of fluorescent nanoparticles. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used for the identification and characterization of the fluorescent nanoparticles. The biological evaluation was determined in three human ovarian (KURAMOCHI, OVCAR3, OVSAHO) and three human breast (MCF7, SKBR 3, and MDA-MB231) cancer cell lines. In the case of cabazitaxel, the nanoparticles maintained the activity of the parent drug, at the low nanomolar range, while exhibiting high blue fluorescence. The internalization of the fluorescent NPs into cells was detected using immunofluorescence assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Colombo
- Dipartimento
di Chimica, Universitá degli Studi
di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Ann Romney
Center for Neurologic Diseases, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical
School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Elif Merve Aydın
- Koc
University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Sariyer, Istanbul 34450, Turkey
| | - İdil Su Canıtez
- Koc
University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Sariyer, Istanbul 34450, Turkey
| | - Laura Polito
- Istituto
di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche “Giulio Natta”, SCITEC−CNR, 20138 Milano, Italy
| | - Marta Penconi
- Istituto
di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche “Giulio Natta”, SCITEC−CNR, 20138, Milano, Italy
- SmartMatLab
Center, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Alberto Bossi
- Istituto
di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche “Giulio Natta”, SCITEC−CNR, 20138, Milano, Italy
- SmartMatLab
Center, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Elisa Impresari
- DISFARM,
Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e
Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Daniele Passarella
- Dipartimento
di Chimica, Universitá degli Studi
di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Sabrina Dallavalle
- Department
of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM,
Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e
Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | | | - Michael S. Christodoulou
- Department
of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
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8
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Gallo A, Agnitelli MC, Pellegrino S, Calcagni ML, Montalto M. Retroperitoneal fibrosis and Helicobacter pylori infection: report of an unusual association. Scand J Rheumatol 2023; 52:574-576. [PMID: 37139832 DOI: 10.1080/03009742.2023.2197315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- A Gallo
- Department of Geriatrics and Orthopedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - M C Agnitelli
- Department of Geriatrics and Orthopedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - S Pellegrino
- Department of Geriatrics and Orthopedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - M L Calcagni
- Nuclear Medicine Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Radiological and Hematological Sciences, Section of Radiology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - M Montalto
- Department of Geriatrics and Orthopedics, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
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9
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Pellegrino S, Fonti R, Hakkak Moghadam Torbati A, Bologna R, Morra R, Damiano V, Matano E, De Placido S, Del Vecchio S. Heterogeneity of Glycolytic Phenotype Determined by 18F-FDG PET/CT Using Coefficient of Variation in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:2448. [PMID: 37510192 PMCID: PMC10378511 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13142448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated the role of Coefficient of Variation (CoV), a first-order texture parameter derived from 18F-FDG PET/CT, in the prognosis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients. Eighty-four patients with advanced NSCLC who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT before therapy were retrospectively studied. SUVmax, SUVmean, CoV, total Metabolic Tumor Volume (MTVTOT) and whole-body Total Lesion Glycolysis (TLGWB) were determined by an automated contouring program (SUV threshold at 2.5). We analyzed 194 lesions: primary tumors (n = 84), regional (n = 48) and non-regional (n = 17) lymph nodes and metastases in liver (n = 9), bone (n = 23) and other sites (n = 13); average CoVs were 0.36 ± 0.13, 0.36 ± 0.14, 0.42 ± 0.18, 0.30 ± 0.14, 0.37 ± 0.17, 0.34 ± 0.13, respectively. No significant differences were found between the CoV values among the different lesion categories. Survival analysis included age, gender, histology, stage, MTVTOT, TLGWB and imaging parameters derived from primary tumors. At univariate analysis, CoV (p = 0.0184), MTVTOT (p = 0.0050), TLGWB (p = 0.0108) and stage (p = 0.0041) predicted Overall Survival (OS). At multivariate analysis, age, CoV, MTVTOT and stage were retained in the model (p = 0.0001). Patients with CoV > 0.38 had significantly better OS than those with CoV ≤ 0.38 (p = 0.0143). Patients with MTVTOT ≤ 89.5 mL had higher OS than those with MTVTOT > 89.5 mL (p = 0.0063). Combining CoV and MTVTOT, patients with CoV ≤ 0.38 and MTVTOT > 89.5 mL had the worst prognosis. CoV, by reflecting the heterogeneity of glycolytic phenotype, can predict clinical outcomes in NSCLC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa Fonti
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Bologna
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Rocco Morra
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Damiano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Elide Matano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Sabino De Placido
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
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10
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Piscopo L, Zampella E, Pellegrino S, Volpe F, Nappi C, Gaudieri V, Fonti R, Vecchio SD, Cuocolo A, Klain M. Diagnosis, Management and Theragnostic Approach of Gastro-Entero-Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3483. [PMID: 37444593 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15133483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs) constitute an ideal target for radiolabeled somatostatin analogs. The theragnostic approach is able to combine diagnosis and therapy by the identification of a molecular target that can be diagnosed and treated with the same radiolabeled compound. During the last years, advances in functional imaging with the introduction of somatostatin analogs and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, have improved the diagnosis and treatment of GEP-NENs. Moreover, PET/CT imaging with 18F-FDG represents a complementary tool for prognostic evaluation of patients with GEP-NENs. In the field of personalized medicine, the theragnostic approach has emerged as a promising tool in diagnosis and management of patients with GEP-NENs. The aim of this review is to summarize the current evidence on diagnosis and management of patients with GEP-NENs, focusing on the theragnostic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandra Piscopo
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Emilia Zampella
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Fabio Volpe
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Carmela Nappi
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Valeria Gaudieri
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa Fonti
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Alberto Cuocolo
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Michele Klain
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples, Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
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11
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Delbue S, Pariani E, Parapini S, Galli C, Basilico N, D'Alessandro S, Pellegrino S, Pini E, Ciceri S, Ferraboschi P, Grisenti P. Heat-Treated Lysozyme Hydrochloride: A Study on Its Structural Modifications and Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28062848. [PMID: 36985820 PMCID: PMC10054570 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28062848] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Lysozyme (E.C. 3.2.1.17), an about 14 kDa protein and pI 11, widely spread in nature, is present in humans mainly in milk, saliva, and intestinal mucus as a part of innate defense mechanisms. It is endowed with antimicrobial activity due to its action as an N-acetylmuramidase, cleaving the 1-4β glycosidic linkage in the peptidoglycan layer of Gram-positive bacteria. This antimicrobial activity is exerted only against a limited number of Gram-negative bacteria. Different action mechanisms are proposed to explain its activity against Gram-negative bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The antiviral activity prompted the study of a possible application of lysozyme in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Among the different sources of lysozyme, the chicken egg albumen was chosen, being the richest source of this protein (c-type lysozyme, 129 amino acids). Interestingly, the activity of lysozyme hydrochloride against SARS-CoV-2 was related to the heating (to about 100 °C) of this molecule. A chemical-physical characterization was required to investigate the possible modifications of native lysozyme hydrochloride by heat treatment. The FTIR analysis of the two preparations of lysozyme hydrochloride showed appreciable differences in the secondary structure of the two protein chains. HPLC and NMR analyses, as well as the enzymatic activity determination, did not show significant modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Delbue
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Pariani
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Parapini
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Galli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Basilico
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Sarah D'Alessandro
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomedical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, General and Organic Chemistry Section "Alessandro Marchesini", University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Pini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, General and Organic Chemistry Section "Alessandro Marchesini", University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Samuele Ciceri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via L. Mangiagalli 25, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Patrizia Ferraboschi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Saldini 50, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Paride Grisenti
- Bioseutica, Landbouwweg 83, 3899 BD Zeewolde, The Netherlands
- Bioseutica, Corso Elvezia 4, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
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12
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Rosa S, Tagliani A, Bertaso C, Tadini L, Visentin C, Gourlay LJ, Pricl S, Feni L, Pellegrino S, Pesaresi P, Masiero S. The cyclic peptide G4CP2 enables the modulation of galactose metabolism in yeast by interfering with GAL4 transcriptional activity. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1017757. [PMID: 36936986 PMCID: PMC10014601 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1017757] [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: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetically-encoded combinatorial peptide libraries are convenient tools to identify peptides to be used as therapeutics, antimicrobials and functional synthetic biology modules. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a cyclic peptide, G4CP2, that interferes with the GAL4 protein, a transcription factor responsible for the activation of galactose catabolism in yeast and widely exploited in molecular biology. G4CP2 was identified by screening CYCLIC, a Yeast Two-Hybrid-based combinatorial library of cyclic peptides developed in our laboratory. G4CP2 interferes with GAL4-mediated activation of galactose metabolic enzymes both when expressed intracellularly, as a recombinant peptide, and when provided exogenously, as a chemically-synthesized cyclic peptide. Our results support the application of G4CP2 in microbial biotechnology and, additionally, demonstrate that CYCLIC can be used as a tool for the rapid identification of peptides, virtually without any limitations with respect to the target protein. The possible biotechnological applications of cyclic peptides are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Rosa
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Tagliani
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Bertaso
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Tadini
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Cristina Visentin
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Sabrina Pricl
- Molecular Biology and Nanotechnology Laboratory (MolBNL@Units), DEA, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Department of General Biophysics, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
| | - Lucia Feni
- DISFARM-Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM-Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Pesaresi
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Simona Masiero
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Simona Masiero,
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13
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Fasola E, Alboreggia G, Pieraccini S, Oliva F, Agharbaoui FE, Bollati M, Bertoni G, Recchia S, Marelli M, Piarulli U, Pellegrino S, Gazzola S. Conformational switch and multiple supramolecular structures of a newly identified self-assembling protein-mimetic peptide from Pseudomonas aeruginosa YeaZ protein. Front Chem 2022; 10:1038796. [PMID: 36583150 PMCID: PMC9792601 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1038796] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-mimetic peptides (PMPs) are shorter sequences of self-assembling proteins, that represent remarkable building blocks for the generation of bioinspired functional supramolecular structures with multiple applications. The identification of novel aminoacidic sequences that permit the access to valuable biocompatible materials is an attractive area of research. In this work, in silico analysis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa YeaZ protein (PaYeaZ) led to the identification of a tetradecapeptide that represents the shortest sequence responsible for the YeaZ-YeaZ dimer formation. Based on its sequence, an innovative 20-meric peptide, called PMP-2, was designed, synthesized, and characterized in terms of secondary structure and self-assembly properties. PMP-2 conserves a helical character and self-assembles into helical nanofibers in non-polar solvents (DMSO and trifluoroethanol), as well as in dilute (0.5 mM) aqueous solutions. In contrast, at higher concentrations (>2 mM) in water, a conformational transition from α-helix to β-sheet occurs, which is accompanied by the Protein-mimetic peptide aggregation into 2D-sheets and formation supramolecular gel in aqueous environment. Our findings reveal a newly identified Protein-mimetic peptide that could turn as a promising candidate for future material applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elettra Fasola
- Science and High Technology Department, University of Insubria, Como, Italy
| | - Giulia Alboreggia
- Science and High Technology Department, University of Insubria, Como, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Michela Bollati
- CNR and Department of Biosciences, Institute of Biophysics, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Sandro Recchia
- Science and High Technology Department, University of Insubria, Como, Italy
| | - Marcello Marelli
- CNR-SCITEC—Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche “Giulio Natta”, Milan, Italy
| | - Umberto Piarulli
- Science and High Technology Department, University of Insubria, Como, Italy,*Correspondence: Umberto Piarulli, ; Silvia Gazzola,
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Pharmaceutical Science Department, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Gazzola
- Science and High Technology Department, University of Insubria, Como, Italy,*Correspondence: Umberto Piarulli, ; Silvia Gazzola,
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14
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Bollati M, Peqini K, Barone L, Natale C, Beeg M, Gobbi M, Diomede L, Trucchi M, de Rosa M, Pellegrino S. Rational Design of a Peptidomimetic Inhibitor of Gelsolin Amyloid Aggregation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232213973. [PMID: 36430461 PMCID: PMC9698219 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232213973] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Gelsolin amyloidosis (AGel) is characterized by multiple systemic and ophthalmic features resulting from pathological tissue deposition of the gelsolin (GSN) protein. To date, no cure is available for the treatment of any form of AGel. More than ten single-point substitutions in the GSN gene are responsible for the occurrence of the disease and, among them, D187N/Y is the most widespread variant. These substitutions undergo an aberrant proteolytic cascade, producing aggregation-prone peptides of 5 and 8 kDa, containing the Gelsolin Amyloidogenic Core, spanning residues 182-192 (GAC182-192). Following a structure-based approach, we designed and synthesized three novel sequence-specific peptidomimetics (LB-5, LB-6, and LB-7) built on a piperidine-pyrrolidine unnatural amino acid. LB-5 and LB-6, but not LB-7, efficiently inhibit the aggregation of the GAC182-192 amyloidogenic peptides at sub-stoichiometric concentrations. These peptidomimetics resulted also effective in vivo, in a C. elegans-based assay, in counteracting the proteotoxicity of aggregated GAC182-192. These data pave the way to a novel pharmacological strategy against AGel and also validate a toolbox exploitable in other amyloidogenic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Bollati
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council (IBF-CNR), c/o Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Kaliroi Peqini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, “A. Marchesini” General and Organic Chemistry Section, University of Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Luigi Barone
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, “A. Marchesini” General and Organic Chemistry Section, University of Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Carmina Natale
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Marten Beeg
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Gobbi
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Luisa Diomede
- Department of Molecular Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milano, Italy
| | - Michelangelo Trucchi
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council (IBF-CNR), c/o Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Matteo de Rosa
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council (IBF-CNR), c/o Department of Biosciences, University of Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.d.R.); (S.P.)
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, “A. Marchesini” General and Organic Chemistry Section, University of Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Correspondence: (M.d.R.); (S.P.)
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15
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Giofrè S, Renda A, Sesana S, Formicola B, Vergani B, Leone BE, Denti V, Paglia G, Groppuso S, Romeo V, Muzio L, Balboni A, Menegon A, Antoniou A, Amenta A, Passarella D, Seneci P, Pellegrino S, Re F. Dual Functionalized Liposomes for Selective Delivery of Poorly Soluble Drugs to Inflamed Brain Regions. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14112402. [PMID: 36365220 PMCID: PMC9698607 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14112402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Dual functionalized liposomes were developed to cross the blood−brain barrier (BBB) and to release their cargo in a pathological matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-rich microenvironment. Liposomes were surface-functionalized with a modified peptide deriving from the receptor-binding domain of apolipoprotein E (mApoE), known to promote cargo delivery to the brain across the BBB in vitro and in vivo; and with an MMP-sensitive moiety for an MMP-triggered drug release. Different MMP-sensitive peptides were functionalized at both ends with hydrophobic stearate tails to yield MMP-sensitive lipopeptides (MSLPs), which were assembled into mApoE liposomes. The resulting bi-functional liposomes (i) displayed a < 180 nm diameter with a negative ζ-potential; (ii) were able to cross an in vitro BBB model with an endothelial permeability of 3 ± 1 × 10−5 cm/min; (iii) when exposed to functional MMP2 or 9, efficiently released an encapsulated fluorescein dye; (iv) showed high biocompatibility when tested in neuronal cultures; and (v) when loaded with glibenclamide, a drug candidate with poor aqueous solubility, reduced the release of proinflammatory cytokines from activated microglial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Giofrè
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Renda
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Silvia Sesana
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Beatrice Formicola
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Barbara Vergani
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Biagio Eugenio Leone
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Vanna Denti
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Paglia
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
| | - Serena Groppuso
- San Raffaele Scientific Institute, INSPE-Institute of Experimental Neurology, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Romeo
- San Raffaele Scientific Institute, INSPE-Institute of Experimental Neurology, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Muzio
- San Raffaele Scientific Institute, INSPE-Institute of Experimental Neurology, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Balboni
- San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Experimental Imaging Centre, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Menegon
- San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Experimental Imaging Centre, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Antonia Antoniou
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Arianna Amenta
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Passarella
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Pierfausto Seneci
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze farmaceutiche, DISFARM, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.P.); (F.R.); Tel.: +39-0250314467 (S.P.); +39-0264488311 (F.R.)
| | - Francesca Re
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Vedano al Lambro, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.P.); (F.R.); Tel.: +39-0250314467 (S.P.); +39-0264488311 (F.R.)
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16
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Pellegrino S, Ronda L. Editorial: Chemically modified proteins and oligopeptides: A toolbox for therapeutics, diagnostics, and analytics. Front Chem 2022; 10:1054229. [DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1054229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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17
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Del Vecchio S, Terlizzi C, Pellegrino S, Altobelli GG, Fonti R. What molecular imaging of cancer patients can teach us about COVID-19. Eur Phys J Plus 2022; 137:1069. [PMID: 36158866 PMCID: PMC9484336 DOI: 10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-03262-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on health systems and cancer care worldwide. Patients with cancer who develop COVID-19 are at high risk of severe outcomes and clarifying the determinants of such vulnerability of cancer patients would be of great clinical benefit. While the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been elucidated, the pathogenetic pathways leading to severe manifestations of the disease are largely unknown. Critical manifestations of COVID-19 mainly occur in elderly patients and in patients with serious comorbidities including cancer. Efforts to understand the intersection of pathways between severe manifestations of COVID-19 and cancer may shed light on the pathogenesis of critical illness in COVID-19 patients. Here, we will focus our attention on two major fields of potential intersection between COVID-19 and cancer, namely the dysfunction of immune system and the prothrombotic state that can occur in both COVID-19 and cancer patients, testing whether cancer imaging can provide clues to better understand such interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Cristina Terlizzi
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Giovanna G. Altobelli
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa Fonti
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
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18
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Impresari E, Bossi A, Lumina EM, Ortenzi MA, Kothuis JM, Cappelletti G, Maggioni D, Christodoulou MS, Bucci R, Pellegrino S. Fatty Acids/Tetraphenylethylene Conjugates: Hybrid AIEgens for the Preparation of Peptide-Based Supramolecular Gels. Front Chem 2022; 10:927563. [PMID: 36003614 PMCID: PMC9393247 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.927563] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregation-induced emissive materials are gaining particular attention in the last decades due to their wide application in different fields, from optical devices to biomedicine. In this work, compounds having these kinds of properties, composed of tetraphenylethylene scaffold combined with fatty acids of different lengths, were synthesized and characterized. These molecules were found able to self-assemble into different supramolecular emissive structures depending on the chemical composition and water content. Furthermore, they were used as N-terminus capping agents in the development of peptide-based materials. The functionalization of a 5-mer laminin-derived peptide led to the obtainment of luminescent fibrillary materials that were not cytotoxic and were able to form supramolecular gels in aqueous environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Impresari
- DISFARM, Dipartimento Di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Bossi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche “G.Natta”, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-SCITEC), Milan, Italy
- SmartMatLab Center, Milan, Italy
| | - Edoardo Mario Lumina
- DISFARM, Dipartimento Di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Aldo Ortenzi
- CRC Materiali Polimerici “LaMPo”, Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - Daniela Maggioni
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Michael S. Christodoulou
- Departiment of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaella Bucci
- DISFARM, Dipartimento Di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM, Dipartimento Di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Sara Pellegrino,
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19
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Mattioli M, Pizzocri M, Stanzani E, Ribecco V, Olei S, Tropeano MP, Giofrè S, Renda A, Pellegrino S, Seneci P, Re F, Pessina F, Matteoli M, Passoni L. Abstract 368: Improving glioblastoma treatment specificity and efficacy of mApoE-targeted liposome by MMP2-controlled drug releasee. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-368] [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: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Recent evidence from our laboratory provided proof-of-concept for therapeutic potential for glioblastoma (GBM) of a combination strategy based on radiation and adjuvant doxorubicin-loaded liposomes (LIPs) conjugated with a modified Apolipoprotein E-derived peptide (mApoE), known to facilitate Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)-crossing. Significant glioma stem cell (GSC) apoptosis, tumor growth inhibition and increased overall survival were observed in vivo upon combined treatment offering attractive and innovative therapeutic possibilities for GBM. To strengthen therapeutic efficacy and lower off-target effects, we implemented mApoE-LIPs with a matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-activable element that allows controlled payload release only in the MMPs rich tumor microenvironment, thus concurring to reduce unspecific interaction in healthy tissue where MMPs are low or absent Given the MMP2 overexpression in GBM, a MMP2-activable block (M2AB) was included in the phospholipid bilayer of mApoE-LIPs. The M2AB efficacy was evaluated on patient-derived GSCs displaying different MMP2 enzymatic activities by means of calcein-loaded M2AB/mApoE-LIPs. Human endothelial cells (hCMEC/d3), not expressing MMP2, were included to validate the targeted strategy as well as to assay the cytotoxicity on non-tumoral cells. Intracellular calcein quantification showed that: 1) calcein uptake correlates with MMP2 activity level; 2) M2AB/mApoE functionalization augmented calcein internalization into GSCs compared to mApoE alone. The MEK/ERK pathway, known to supports GBM cell survival, migration, and radio-resistance was considered as target strategy against GBM. A survey of the MEK/ERK inhibitors Trametinib (TRAM) and Pimasertib (PIMA) in several GSC lines indicated significant induction of GSC apoptosis associated to reduction of ERK phosphorylation. TRAM and PIMA were then encapsulated into mApoE-LIPs and their anti-GSC activity was investigated. Indeed, a dose dependent inhibition of GSC survival and induction of apoptosis combined to a significant lower level of phospho-ERK was observed upon 72h treatment. In conclusion, M2AB/mApoE-LIPs demonstrate: 1) a MMP2-dependent payload release; 2) stability when MMP2 lacks in the cellular milieu; 3) a synergic effect of the double M2AB/mApoE functionalization. TRAM and PIMA encapsulation into LIPs does not alter their anti-GSC activity. Funding by FRRB grant NEVERMIND (CP2_16/2018)
Citation Format: Milena Mattioli, Marco Pizzocri, Elisabetta Stanzani, Valentino Ribecco, Simone Olei, Maria Pia Tropeano, Sabrina Giofrè, Antonio Renda, Sara Pellegrino, Pierfausto Seneci, Francesca Re, Federico Pessina, Michela Matteoli, Lorena Passoni. Improving glioblastoma treatment specificity and efficacy of mApoE-targeted liposome by MMP2-controlled drug releasee [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 368.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Simone Olei
- 1Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano (MI), Italy
| | | | | | - Antonio Renda
- 3University of Milano-Bicocca, Vedano al Lambro (MB), Italy
| | | | | | - Francesca Re
- 3University of Milano-Bicocca, Vedano al Lambro (MB), Italy
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Ballabio F, Broggini L, Paissoni C, Han X, Peqini K, Sala BM, Sun R, Sandalova T, Barbiroli A, Achour A, Pellegrino S, Ricagno S, Camilloni C. l- to d-Amino Acid Substitution in the Immunodominant LCMV-Derived Epitope gp33 Highlights the Sensitivity of the TCR Recognition Mechanism for the MHC/Peptide Structure and Dynamics. ACS Omega 2022; 7:9622-9635. [PMID: 35350306 PMCID: PMC8945122 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Presentation of pathogen-derived epitopes by major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I) can lead to the activation and expansion of specific CD8+ T cell clones, eventually resulting in the destruction of infected target cells. Altered peptide ligands (APLs), designed to elicit immunogenicity toward a wild-type peptide, may affect the overall stability of MHC-I/peptide (pMHC) complexes and modulate the recognition by T cell receptors (TCR). Previous works have demonstrated that proline substitution at position 3 (p3P) of different MHC-restricted epitopes, including the immunodominant LCMV-derived epitope gp33 and escape variants, may be an effective design strategy to increase epitope immunogenicity. These studies hypothesized that the p3P substitution increases peptide rigidity, facilitating TCR binding. Here, molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the p3P modification rigidifies the APLs in solution predisposing them for the MHC-I loading as well as once bound to H-2Db, predisposing them for TCR binding. Our results also indicate that peptide position 6, key for interaction of H-2Db/gp33 with the TCR P14, takes a suboptimal conformation before as well as after binding to the TCR. Analyses of H-2Db in complex with APLs, in which position 6 was subjected to an l- to d-amino acid modification, revealed small conformational changes and comparable pMHC thermal stability. However, the l- to d-modification reduced significantly the binding to P14 even in the presence of the p3P modification. Our combined data highlight the sensitivity of the TCR for the conformational dynamics of pMHC and provide further tools to dissect and modulate TCR binding and immunogenicity via APLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Ballabio
- Dipartimento
di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi
di Milano, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Luca Broggini
- Dipartimento
di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi
di Milano, Milano 20133, Italy
- Institute
of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese 20097, Italy
| | - Cristina Paissoni
- Dipartimento
di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi
di Milano, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Xiao Han
- Science
for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute,
& Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska
University Hospital, Stockholm 14186, Sweden
| | - Kaliroi Peqini
- DISFARM,
Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e
Organica, Università degli Studi
di Milano, Milano 20122, Italy
| | - Benedetta Maria Sala
- Science
for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute,
& Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska
University Hospital, Stockholm 14186, Sweden
| | - Renhua Sun
- Science
for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute,
& Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska
University Hospital, Stockholm 14186, Sweden
| | - Tatyana Sandalova
- Science
for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute,
& Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska
University Hospital, Stockholm 14186, Sweden
| | - Alberto Barbiroli
- Dipartimento
di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l’Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano 20122, Italy
| | - Adnane Achour
- Science
for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute,
& Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska
University Hospital, Stockholm 14186, Sweden
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM,
Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e
Organica, Università degli Studi
di Milano, Milano 20122, Italy
| | - Stefano Ricagno
- Dipartimento
di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi
di Milano, Milano 20133, Italy
- Institute
of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, San Donato Milanese 20097, Italy
| | - Carlo Camilloni
- Dipartimento
di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi
di Milano, Milano 20133, Italy
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21
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Fonti R, Panico M, Pellegrino S, Pulcrano A, Vastarella LA, Hakkak A, Giuliano M, Palmieri G, De Placido S, Del Vecchio S. Heterogeneity of SSTR2 expression assessed by 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT using coefficient of variation in patients with neuroendocrine tumors. J Nucl Med 2022; 63:1509-1514. [PMID: 35273092 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.121.262928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
High levels of somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) is a prerequisite for therapy with unlabeled or labeled somatostatin analogues. However, it is still unclear how the heterogeneity of SSTR2 expression could affect tumor response to therapy. The aim of our study was to test the ability of an imaging parameter such as coefficient of variation (CoV) derived from PET/CT with 68Ga-peptides in the evaluation and quantification of the heterogeneity of SSTR2 expression within primary and metastatic lesions of patients with neuroendocrine tumors. Methods: Thirty-eight patients with pathologically proven neuroendocrine tumors who underwent 68Ga-DOTATOC-PET/CT were studied. Primary tumors were localized in the gastroenteropancreatic, bronchopulmonary and other anatomical districts in 25, 7 and 6 patients, respectively. Malignant lesions were segmented using an automated contouring program and a threshold of SUV> 2.5 or in the case of liver lesions a threshold of 30% of the SUVmax The imaging parameters SUVmean, CoV, SUVmax, RETV (receptor expressing tumor volume) and TLRE (total lesion receptor expression) of each lesion were obtained. SUVmean, CoV, SUVmax were also obtained in representative volumes of normal liver, spleen as well as in the whole pituitary gland. Results: A total of 107 lesions were analyzed including 35 primary tumors, 32 metastatic lymph nodes and 40 distant metastases. Average CoV values were 0.49±0.20 in primary tumors, 0.57±0.26 in lymph node metastases and 0.44±0.20 in distant metastases. CoV values in malignant lesions were up to 4-fold higher than those of normal tissues (p≤0.0001). Among malignant lesions the highest CoV value was found in bone metastases (0.68±0.20) and was significantly greater than that of primary lesions (P = 0.01) and liver metastases (0<0.0001). On the other hand, the lowest CoV value was found in liver lesions (0.32±0.07) probably due to the high background. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the heterogeneity of tracer uptake, reflecting that of SSTR2, varies depending on type and site of malignant lesions as assessed by CoV values obtained from 68Ga-DOTATOC-PET/CT scans. These observations may be related to different biological characteristics of tumor lesions in the same patient that may affect their response to treatment with both labeled and unlabeled somatostatin analogues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Fonti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimages, National Research Council, Italy
| | | | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy
| | - Alessandro Pulcrano
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy
| | | | - Armin Hakkak
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy
| | - Mario Giuliano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy
| | - Giovannella Palmieri
- CRCTR Coordinating Rare Tumors Reference Center of Campania Region, AOU "Federico II", Italy
| | - Sabino De Placido
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy
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22
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Lesma J, Bizet F, Berardet C, Tonali N, Pellegrino S, Taverna M, Khemtemourian L, Soulier JL, van Heijenoort C, Halgand F, Ha-Duong T, Kaffy J, Ongeri S. β-Hairpin Peptide Mimics Decrease Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide (hIAPP) Aggregation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:729001. [PMID: 34604227 PMCID: PMC8481668 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.729001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Amyloid diseases are degenerative pathologies, highly prevalent today because they are closely related to aging, that have in common the erroneous folding of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) which aggregate and lead to cell death. Type 2 Diabetes involves a peptide called human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), which undergoes a conformational change, triggering the aggregation process leading to amyloid aggregates and fibers rich in β-sheets mainly found in the pancreas of all diabetic patients. Inhibiting the aggregation of amyloid proteins has emerged as a relevant therapeutic approach and we have recently developed the design of acyclic flexible hairpins based on peptidic recognition sequences of the amyloid β peptide (Aβ1–42) as a successful strategy to inhibit its aggregation involved in Alzheimer’s disease. The present work reports the extension of our strategy to hIAPP aggregation inhibitors. The design, synthesis, conformational analyses, and biophysical evaluations of dynamic β-hairpin like structures built on a piperidine-pyrrolidine β-turn inducer are described. By linking to this β-turn inducer three different arms (i) pentapeptide, (ii) tripeptide, and (iii) α/aza/aza/pseudotripeptide, we demonstrate that the careful selection of the peptide-based arms from the sequence of hIAPP allowed to selectively modulate its aggregation, while the peptide character can be decreased. Biophysical assays combining, Thioflavin-T fluorescence, transmission electronic microscopy, capillary electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry showed that the designed compounds inhibit both the oligomerization and the fibrillization of hIAPP. They are also capable to decrease the aggregation process in the presence of membrane models and to strongly delay the membrane-leakage induced by hIAPP. More generally, this work provides the proof of concept that our rational design is a versatile and relevant strategy for developing efficient and selective inhibitors of aggregation of amyloidogenic proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Lesma
- BioCIS, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Faustine Bizet
- BioCIS, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Corentin Berardet
- BioCIS, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France.,Institute Galien Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Nicolo Tonali
- BioCIS, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM, Sezione di Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini," Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Myriam Taverna
- Institute Galien Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Lucie Khemtemourian
- Institute of Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nanoobjects, Institut Polytechnique Bordeaux, CNRS UMR 5248, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | | | - Carine van Heijenoort
- ICSN, Equipe Biologie et Chimie Structurales, Département de Chimie et Biologie Structurales et Analytiques, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Frédéric Halgand
- Institut de Chimie Physique, Equipe Chimie Analytique Physicochimie Réactivité des Ions, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, France
| | - Tâp Ha-Duong
- BioCIS, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Julia Kaffy
- BioCIS, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Sandrine Ongeri
- BioCIS, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
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23
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Locarno S, Bucci R, Impresari E, Gelmi ML, Pellegrino S, Clerici F. Ultrashort Peptides and Gold Nanoparticles: Influence of Constrained Amino Acids on Colloidal Stability. Front Chem 2021; 9:736519. [PMID: 34660531 PMCID: PMC8517408 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.736519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Poor colloidal stability of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in physiological environments remains one of the major limitations that contribute to their difficult translation from bench to clinic. For this reason, an active research field is the development of molecules able to hamper AuNPs aggregation tendency in physiological environments. In this context, synthetic peptides are gaining an increased interest as an alternative to the use of biomacromolecules and polymers, due to their easiness of synthesis and their profitable pharmacokinetic profile. In this work, we reported on the use of ultrashort peptides containing conformationally constrained amino acids (AAs) for the stabilization of AuNPs. A small library of non-natural self-assembled oligopeptides were synthesized and used to functionalize spherical AuNPs of 20 nm diameter, via the ligand exchange method. The aim was to investigate the role of the constrained AA, the anchor point (at C- or N-terminus) and the peptide length on their potential use as gold binding motif. Ultrashort Aib containing peptides were identified as effective tools for AuNPs colloidal stabilization. Furthermore, peptide coated AuNPs were found to be storable as powders without losing the stabilization properties once re-dispersed in water. Finally, the possibility to exploit the developed systems for binding proteins via molecular recognition was also evaluated using biotin as model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Locarno
- Dipartimento di Fisica “Aldo Pontremoli”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Raffaella Bucci
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica ‘‘A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Elisa Impresari
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica ‘‘A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Gelmi
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica ‘‘A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica ‘‘A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Francesca Clerici
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica ‘‘A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
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24
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Bucci R, Maggioni D, Locarno S, Ferretti AM, Gelmi ML, Pellegrino S. Exploiting Ultrashort α,β-Peptides in the Colloidal Stabilization of Gold Nanoparticles. Langmuir 2021; 37:11365-11373. [PMID: 34533956 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c01981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Colloidal gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have found wide-ranging applications in nanomedicine due to their unique optical properties, ease of preparation, and functionalization. To avoid the formation of GNP aggregates in the physiological environment, molecules such as lipids, polysaccharides, or polymers are employed as GNP coatings. Here, we present the colloidal stabilization of GNPs using ultrashort α,β-peptides containing the repeating unit of a diaryl β2,3-amino acid and characterized by an extended conformation. Differently functionalized GNPs have been characterized by ultraviolet, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy analysis, allowing us to define the best candidate that inhibits the aggregation of GNPs not only in water but also in mouse serum. In particular, a short tripeptide was found to be able to stabilize GNPs in physiological media over 3 months. This new system has been further capped with albumin, obtaining a material with even more colloidal stability and ability to prevent the formation of a thick protein corona in physiological media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Bucci
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini", Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Daniela Maggioni
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Locarno
- Dipartimento di Fisica "Aldo Pontremoli", Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Ferretti
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche ″Giulio Natta″, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (SCITEC-CNR), Via G. Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milano, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Gelmi
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini", Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini", Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
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25
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Bisi N, Feni L, Peqini K, Pérez-Peña H, Ongeri S, Pieraccini S, Pellegrino S. α-Synuclein: An All-Inclusive Trip Around its Structure, Influencing Factors and Applied Techniques. Front Chem 2021; 9:666585. [PMID: 34307295 PMCID: PMC8292672 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.666585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [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: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Alpha-synuclein (αSyn) is a highly expressed and conserved protein, typically found in the presynaptic terminals of neurons. The misfolding and aggregation of αSyn into amyloid fibrils is a pathogenic hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases called synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson’s disease. Since αSyn is an Intrinsically Disordered Protein, the characterization of its structure remains very challenging. Moreover, the mechanisms by which the structural conversion of monomeric αSyn into oligomers and finally into fibrils takes place is still far to be completely understood. Over the years, various studies have provided insights into the possible pathways that αSyn could follow to misfold and acquire oligomeric and fibrillar forms. In addition, it has been observed that αSyn structure can be influenced by different parameters, such as mutations in its sequence, the biological environment (e.g., lipids, endogenous small molecules and proteins), the interaction with exogenous compounds (e.g., drugs, diet components, heavy metals). Herein, we review the structural features of αSyn (wild-type and disease-mutated) that have been elucidated up to present by both experimental and computational techniques in different environmental and biological conditions. We believe that this gathering of current knowledge will further facilitate studies on αSyn, helping the planning of future experiments on the interactions of this protein with targeting molecules especially taking into consideration the environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolò Bisi
- BioCIS, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry Cedex, France
| | - Lucia Feni
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Kaliroi Peqini
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Helena Pérez-Peña
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sandrine Ongeri
- BioCIS, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry Cedex, France
| | | | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica "A. Marchesini", Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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26
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Bucci R, Foschi F, Loro C, Erba E, Gelmi ML, Pellegrino S. Fishing in the Toolbox of Cyclic Turn Mimics: a Literature Overview of the Last Decade. European J Org Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202100244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Bucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze farmaceutiche,DISFARM Università degli Studi di Milano Via Venezian 21 Milano 20133 Italy
| | - Francesca Foschi
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Alta Tecnologie,DiSAT Università degli Studi dell'Insubria Via Valleggio 9 Como 20100 Italy
| | - Camilla Loro
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Alta Tecnologie,DiSAT Università degli Studi dell'Insubria Via Valleggio 9 Como 20100 Italy
| | - Emanuela Erba
- Dipartimento di Scienze farmaceutiche,DISFARM Università degli Studi di Milano Via Venezian 21 Milano 20133 Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Gelmi
- Dipartimento di Scienze farmaceutiche,DISFARM Università degli Studi di Milano Via Venezian 21 Milano 20133 Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze farmaceutiche,DISFARM Università degli Studi di Milano Via Venezian 21 Milano 20133 Italy
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27
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Facchetti G, Bucci R, Fusè M, Erba E, Gandolfi R, Pellegrino S, Rimoldi I. Alternative Strategy to Obtain Artificial Imine Reductase by Exploiting Vancomycin/D-Ala-D-Ala Interactions with an Iridium Metal Complex. Inorg Chem 2021; 60:2976-2982. [PMID: 33550804 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c02969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Based on the supramolecular interaction between vancomycin (Van), an antibiotic glycopeptide, and D-Ala-D-Ala (DADA) dipeptides, a novel class of artificial metalloenzymes was synthesized and characterized. The presence of an iridium(III) ligand at the N-terminus of DADA allowed the use of the metalloenzyme as a catalyst in the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of cyclic imines. In particular, the type of link between DADA and the metal-chelating moiety was found to be fundamental for inducing asymmetry in the reaction outcome, as highlighted by both computational studies and catalytic results. Using the [IrCp*(m-I)Cl]Cl ⊂ Van complex in 0.1 M CH3COONa buffer at pH 5, a significant 70% (S) e.e. was obtained in the reduction of quinaldine B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Facchetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Raffaella Bucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Fusè
- Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Emanuela Erba
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Raffaella Gandolfi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Isabella Rimoldi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
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28
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Pellegrino S, Fonti R, Pulcrano A, Del Vecchio S. PET-Based Volumetric Biomarkers for Risk Stratification of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11020210. [PMID: 33573333 PMCID: PMC7911597 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11020210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [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: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the recent advances in lung cancer biology, molecular pathology, and treatment, this malignancy remains the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common form found at diagnosis. Accurate staging of the disease is a fundamental prognostic factor that correctly predicts progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of NSCLC patients. However, outcome of patients within each TNM staging group can change widely highlighting the need to identify additional prognostic biomarkers to better stratify patients on the basis of risk. 18F-FDG PET/CT plays an essential role in staging, evaluation of treatment response, and tumoral target delineation in NSCLC patients. Moreover, a number of studies showed the prognostic role of imaging parameters derived from PET images, such as metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). These parameters represent three-dimensional PET-based measurements providing information on both tumor volume and metabolic activity and previous studies reported their ability to predict OS and PFS of NSCLC patients. This review will primarily focus on the studies that showed the prognostic and predictive role of MTV and TLG in NSCLC patients, addressing also their potential utility in the new era of immunotherapy of NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (A.P.)
| | - Rosa Fonti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimages, National Research Council, 80145 Naples, Italy;
| | - Alessandro Pulcrano
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (A.P.)
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-081-7463307; Fax: +39-081-5457081
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29
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Bucci R, Bossi A, Erba E, Vaghi F, Saha A, Yuran S, Maggioni D, Gelmi ML, Reches M, Pellegrino S. Nucleobase morpholino β amino acids as molecular chimeras for the preparation of photoluminescent materials from ribonucleosides. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19331. [PMID: 33168883 PMCID: PMC7652887 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76297-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Bioinspired smart materials represent a tremendously growing research field and the obtainment of new building blocks is at the molecular basis of this technology progress. In this work, colloidal materials have been prepared in few steps starting from ribonucleosides. Nucleobase morpholino β-amino acids are the chimera key intermediates allowing Phe-Phe dipeptides' functionalization with adenine and thymine. The obtained compounds self-aggregate showing enhanced photoluminescent features, such as deep blue fluorescence and phosphorescence emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Bucci
- DISFARM-Dipartimento Di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale E Organica "A. Marchesini", Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Bossi
- Istituto Di Scienze E Tecnologie Chimiche "G. Natta" del Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (CNR-SCITEC), via Fantoli 16/15, 20138, Milan, Italy
- SmartMatLab Center, via C. Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuela Erba
- DISFARM-Dipartimento Di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale E Organica "A. Marchesini", Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Vaghi
- DISFARM-Dipartimento Di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale E Organica "A. Marchesini", Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Abhijit Saha
- Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Chemistry, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Sivan Yuran
- Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Chemistry, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Daniela Maggioni
- SmartMatLab Center, via C. Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Dipartimento Di Chimica, Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Via Golgi 19, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Gelmi
- DISFARM-Dipartimento Di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale E Organica "A. Marchesini", Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Meital Reches
- Institute of Chemistry and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Institute of Chemistry, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM-Dipartimento Di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale E Organica "A. Marchesini", Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133, Milan, Italy.
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Maranta F, Pellegrino S, Bonaccorso A, Rizza V, Castiglioni A, De Bonis M, Alfieri O, Cianflone D. Cardiovascular rehabilitation after valvular heart surgery: predictive factors of major complications. Eur Heart J 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.3092] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The population of patients affected by valvular heart disease is growing and for many of them valvular surgery is still considered the gold standard treatment. Cardiovascular Rehabilitation (CR) following intervention is fundamental for the post-surgical functional recovery and for the monitoring and management of complications that may occur after surgery.
Aim of the study
We aimed at identifying predictors of major complications in patients who underwent valvular surgery and subsequently were involved in an in-patient CR program. Major complications were defined as those requiring an in-patient management: severe anemia needing transfusions, infection of the sternal surgical wound requiring an antibiotic treatment, a positive hemoculture in the presence of systemic signs of infection and pericardial effusion requiring surgical drainage.
Methods and statistical analysis
1600 patients who have been hospitalized in our CR Unit after valvular surgery were enrolled (median age 64 years; 60% males). We examined the demographic data, the cardiovascular risk factors, the main comorbidities, the type of heart surgery (type of valvular surgery and the presence of concomitant other cardiac intervention), the complications developed in Cardiac Surgery Unit and in the CR Unit, the in-hospital length of stay, the 6 minutes-walking tests and principal blood tests.
Results
At multivariate analysis we found that chronic renal dysfunction [OR 1,902 (CI 1,103–3,280), p=0,021], complex cardiac intervention [OR 1,554 (CI 1,030–2,344), p=0,036], sternal re-synthesis [OR 4,671 (CI 1,659–13,152), p=0,004], early post-surgical transfusions [OR 1,670 (CI 1,083–2,573), p=0,020] are independent risk factors for major complications, while a higher hemoglobin value at CR admission [OR 0,677 (CI 0,566–0,810), p<0,001] resulted an independent protective factor.
Conclusions
We identified predictors of major complications during CR after valvular surgery. These factors may help in defining the patients at major risk tailoring the patient management, adopting an individualized clinical and instrumental monitoring. A tailored CR period gives the possibility to optimize the use of hospital economic resources and to achieve a better final outcome.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding source: None
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Affiliation(s)
- F Maranta
- San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - S Pellegrino
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - A Bonaccorso
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - V Rizza
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | | | - M De Bonis
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - O Alfieri
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - D Cianflone
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
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Maranta F, Bonaccorso A, Rizza V, Pellegrino S, Meloni C, Avitabile M, De Bonis M, Alfieri O, Cianflone D. Subacute post-operative atrial fibrillation after valvular surgery in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation: predictive factors. Eur Heart J 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/ehaa946.3093] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is the most frequent arrhythmic complication following cardiac surgery (occurring in up to one third of patients). It may develop between the second and fourth postoperative days (acute POAF) as well as later, within 30 days after surgery (subacute). Episodes of atrial fibrillation in the subacute phase (sPOAF) are associated with an increase in morbidity, length of hospital stay and several complications both in the mid- and long- term. Therefore, POAF is not just an acute event but it may impact on long term clinical outcomes.
Aim of the study
The aim of this study was to identify the clinical predictors of postoperative atrial fibrillation in the subacute phase (sPOAF) in patients performing Cardiovascular Rehabilitation (CR) after cardiac surgery.
Materials and methods
A retrospective study was conducted on 737 post-surgical valvular patients (median age 62 years; 55,4% male) hospitalised in our Unit for in-patient CR program. During all the hospital stay patients received continuous monitoring with 12-lead ECG telemetry. We evaluated the predictive value of anamnestic data, the type of cardiac surgery intervention, the clinical course in the Cardiac Surgery Unit and in the CR Unit, the 6 minutes-walking tests (6MWT) parameters and main blood tests on sPOAF onset.
Results
SPOAF was documented in 170 patients (23,1%). Those who developed sPOAF were older [median 66 (56–74) years vs median 61 (50–70) years; p<0,001), had a history of atrial fibrillation prior to surgery (29,4% vs 16,2%; p<0,001), had a worse functional result at the 6MWT at the admission in CR Unit [median 250 (180–320) vs median 275 (210–370); p=0,015], had higher values of neutrophil-lymphocite ratio at baseline [median 2,33 (1,84–3,27) vs median 2,17 (1,64 - 2,87); p=0,027] when compared to those who did not develop POAF. At the multivariable logistic regression analysis, the occurrence of POAF in the acute phase (OR 2,916; 95% CI 2,011–4,228; p<0,001), advanced age (OR 1,027; 95% CI 1,01–1,044; p=0,002), previous history of atrial fibrillation (OR 1,652; 95% CI 1,068–2,555; p=0,024), higher values of NLR at baseline (OR 1,144; 95% CI 1,028–1,272; p=0,013) and mitral valve surgery (OR 1,632, 95% CI 1,075–2,480; p=0,022) were found to be independent predictors of sPOAF after cardiac surgery.
Conclusions
Atrial fibrillation is a common complication after cardiac surgery with great clinical relevance. Advanced age, previous history of AF, higher values of NLR at baseline, mitral valve surgery and the occurrence of POAF in the acute phase were shown to be predictors of sPOAF in a cardiac surgery population during the rehabilitation period.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding source: None
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Affiliation(s)
- F Maranta
- San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - A Bonaccorso
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - V Rizza
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - S Pellegrino
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - C Meloni
- San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - M Avitabile
- San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - M De Bonis
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - O Alfieri
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - D Cianflone
- University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
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Rimoldi I, Bucci R, Feni L, Santagostini L, Facchetti G, Pellegrino S. Exploring the copper binding ability of Mets7 hCtr-1 protein domain and His7 derivative: An insight in Michael addition catalysis. J Pept Sci 2020; 27:e3289. [PMID: 33094563 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Mets7 is a methionine-rich motif present in hCtr-1 transporter that is involved in copper cellular trafficking. Its ability to bind Cu(I) was recently exploited to develop metallopeptide catalysts for Henry condensation. Here, the catalytic activity of Mets7-Cu(I) complex in Michael addition reactions has been evaluated. Furthermore, His7 peptide, in which Met residues have been substituted with His ones, was also prepared. This substitution allowed His7 to coordinate Cu (II), with the obtainment of a stable turn conformation as evicted by CD experiments. His7-Cu (II) proved also to be a better catalyst than Mets7-Cu(I) in the addition reaction. In particular, when the substrate was the (E)-1-phenyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)prop-2-en-1-one, a conversion of 71% and a significative 58% of e.e. was observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Rimoldi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaella Bucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucia Feni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Giorgio Facchetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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Pellegrino S, Erba E, Bucci R, Clerici F. Diastereoselective Synthesis of Pyrazolines by Metal-Free Rearrangement of Bicyclic Triazolines. SYNTHESIS-STUTTGART 2020. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1707173] [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: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The metal-free preparation of diazoalkanes through the ring rearrangement of bicyclic triazolines is reported here. Their use in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions with electron-withdrawing alkenes was investigated. This synthetic procedure allows differently substituted pyrazolines to be obtained in few steps and with high atom economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano
| | - Emanuela Erba
- DISFARM-Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano
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Fonti R, Pellegrino S, Mainolfi CG, Matano E, Del Vecchio S. Brain Metastases Unresponsive to Immunotherapy Detected by 18F-FDG-PET/CT in a Patient with Melanoma. Diagnostics (Basel) 2020; 10:diagnostics10060410. [PMID: 32560298 PMCID: PMC7345060 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics10060410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recently, newer therapies such as immunotherapy have been increasingly used in the treatment of several tumors, including advanced melanoma. In particular, several studies showed that the combination of ipilimumab, an anti-Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte Associated Protein 4 (CTLA-4) monoclonal antibody and nivolumab, an anti-Programmed Death 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody, leads to improved survival in patients with metastatic melanoma. Despite that, immunotherapeutic agents may not reach therapeutic concentration in the brain due to the blood–brain barrier. We report the case of a 50-year-old man with advanced melanoma who underwent whole-body 18F-FDG-PET/CT before and after treatment with immunotherapy showing resistant brain metastases confirmed by subsequent MRI of the brain. Moreover, 18F-FDG-PET/CT was able to detect an immune-related adverse event such as enterocolitis that contributed to the worsening of patient conditions. This case shows how a whole-body methodology such as 18F-FDG-PET/CT can be useful in identifying melanoma cancer patients unresponsive to immunotherapy that may benefit from traditional palliative therapy in the effort to improve their quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Fonti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimages, National Research Council, Via Tommaso De Amicis 95, 80145 Naples, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-081-220-3432; Fax: +39-081-229-6117
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (C.G.M.); (S.D.V.)
| | - Ciro Gabriele Mainolfi
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (C.G.M.); (S.D.V.)
| | - Elide Matano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; (S.P.); (C.G.M.); (S.D.V.)
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Duru AD, Sun R, Allerbring EB, Chadderton J, Kadri N, Han X, Peqini K, Uchtenhagen H, Madhurantakam C, Pellegrino S, Sandalova T, Nygren PÅ, Turner SJ, Achour A. Tuning antiviral CD8 T-cell response via proline-altered peptide ligand vaccination. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008244. [PMID: 32365082 PMCID: PMC7224568 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral escape from CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses correlates with disease progression and represents a significant challenge for vaccination. Here, we demonstrate that CD8+ T cell recognition of the naturally occurring MHC-I-restricted LCMV-associated immune escape variant Y4F is restored following vaccination with a proline-altered peptide ligand (APL). The APL increases MHC/peptide (pMHC) complex stability, rigidifies the peptide and facilitates T cell receptor (TCR) recognition through reduced entropy costs. Structural analyses of pMHC complexes before and after TCR binding, combined with biophysical analyses, revealed that although the TCR binds similarly to all complexes, the p3P modification alters the conformations of a very limited amount of specific MHC and peptide residues, facilitating efficient TCR recognition. This approach can be easily introduced in peptides restricted to other MHC alleles, and can be combined with currently available and future vaccination protocols in order to prevent viral immune escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adil Doganay Duru
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
- NSU Cell Therapy Institute & Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America
| | - Renhua Sun
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eva B. Allerbring
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jesseka Chadderton
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Nadir Kadri
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Xiao Han
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kaliroi Peqini
- DISFARM, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezinone Chimica Generale e Organica, Università degli Studi, Milano, Italy
| | - Hannes Uchtenhagen
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Chaithanya Madhurantakam
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
- Structural and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology, TERI, School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, India
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezinone Chimica Generale e Organica, Università degli Studi, Milano, Italy
| | - Tatyana Sandalova
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Per-Åke Nygren
- Division of Protein Engineering, Department of Protein Science, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, AlbaNova University Center, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stephen J. Turner
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Adnane Achour
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, and Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
- * E-mail:
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Macut H, Hu X, Tarantino D, Gilardoni E, Clerici F, Regazzoni L, Contini A, Pellegrino S, Luisa Gelmi M. Tuning PFKFB3 Bisphosphatase Activity Through Allosteric Interference. Sci Rep 2019; 9:20333. [PMID: 31889092 PMCID: PMC6937325 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56708-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The human inducible phospho-fructokinase bisphosphatase isoform 3, PFKFB3, is a crucial regulatory node in the cellular metabolism. The enzyme is an important modulator regulating the intracellular fructose-2,6-bisphosphate level. PFKFB3 is a bifunctional enzyme with an exceptionally high kinase to phosphatase ratio around 740:1. Its kinase activity can be directly inhibited by small molecules acting directly on the kinase active site. On the other hand, here we propose an innovative and indirect strategy for the modulation of PFKFB3 activity, achieved through allosteric bisphosphatase activation. A library of small peptides targeting an allosteric site was discovered and synthesized. The binding affinity was evaluated by microscale thermophoresis (MST). Furthermore, a LC-MS/MS analytical method for assessing the bisphosphatase activity of PFKFB3 was developed. The new method was applied for measuring the activation on bisphosphatase activity with the PFKFB3-binding peptides. The molecular mechanical connection between the newly discovered allosteric site to the bisphosphatase activity was also investigated using both experimental and computational methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Macut
- DISFARM- Department of Pharmaceutical sciences, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Xiao Hu
- DISFARM- Department of Pharmaceutical sciences, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Delia Tarantino
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Ettore Gilardoni
- DISFARM- Department of Pharmaceutical sciences, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Clerici
- DISFARM- Department of Pharmaceutical sciences, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Regazzoni
- DISFARM- Department of Pharmaceutical sciences, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Contini
- DISFARM- Department of Pharmaceutical sciences, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM- Department of Pharmaceutical sciences, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Maria Luisa Gelmi
- DISFARM- Department of Pharmaceutical sciences, Via Mangiagalli 25, 20133, Milan, Italy
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Pellegrino S, Fonti R, Mazziotti E, Piccin L, Mozzillo E, Damiano V, Matano E, De Placido S, Del Vecchio S. Total metabolic tumor volume by 18F-FDG PET/CT for the prediction of outcome in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Ann Nucl Med 2019; 33:937-944. [PMID: 31612416 DOI: 10.1007/s12149-019-01407-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) are imaging parameters derived from 18F-FDG PET/CT that have been proposed for risk stratification of cancer patients. The aim of our study was to test whether these whole-body volumetric imaging parameters may predict outcome in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS Sixty-five patients (45 men, 20 women; mean age ± SD, 65 ± 12 years), with histologically proven NSCLC who had undergone 18F-FDG PET/CT scan before any therapy, were included in the study. Imaging parameters including SUVmax, SUVmean, total MTV (MTVTOT) and whole-body TLG (TLGWB) were determined. Univariate and multivariate analyses of clinical and imaging variables were performed using Cox proportional hazards regression. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests. RESULTS A total of 298 lesions were analyzed including 65 primary tumors, 114 metastatic lymph nodes and 119 distant metastases. MTVTOT and TLGWB could be determined in 276 lesions. Mean value of MTVTOT was 81.83 ml ± 14.63 ml (SE) whereas mean value of TLGWB was 459.88 g ± 77.02 g (SE). Univariate analysis showed that, among the variables tested, primary tumor diameter (p = 0.0470), MTV of primary tumor (p = 0.0299), stage (p < 0.0001), treatment (p < 0.0001), MTVTOT (p = 0.0003) and TLGWB (p = 0.0002) predicted progression-free survival in NSCLC patients, while age (p = 0.0550), MTV of primary tumor (p = 0.0375), stage (p < 0.0001), treatment (p < 0.0001), MTVTOT (p = 0.0001) and TLGWB (p = 0.0008) predicted overall survival. At multivariate analysis age, TLGWB and stage were retained in the model for prediction of progression-free survival (p < 0.0001), while age, MTVTOT and stage were retained in the model for prediction of overall survival (p < 0.0001). Survival analysis showed that patients with TLGWB ≤ 54.7 g had a significantly prolonged progression-free survival as compared to patients with TLGWB > 54.7 g (p < 0.0001). Moreover, overall survival was significantly better in patients showing a MTVTOT ≤ 9.5 ml as compared to those having MTVTOT > 9.5 ml (p < 0.0001). Similar results were obtained in a subgroup of 43 patients with advanced disease (stages III and IV). CONCLUSIONS Whole-body PET-based volumetric imaging parameters are able to predict outcome in NSCLC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University "Federico II", Via Pansini 5, Edificio 10, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa Fonti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimages, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuela Mazziotti
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University "Federico II", Via Pansini 5, Edificio 10, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Luisa Piccin
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Eleonora Mozzillo
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Damiano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Elide Matano
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Sabino De Placido
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University "Federico II", Via Pansini 5, Edificio 10, 80131, Naples, Italy. .,Institute of Biostructures and Bioimages, National Research Council, Naples, Italy.
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38
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Facchetti G, Pellegrino S, Bucci R, Nava D, Gandolfi R, Christodoulou MS, Rimoldi I. Vancomycin-Iridium (III) Interaction: An Unexplored Route for Enantioselective Imine Reduction. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24152771. [PMID: 31366120 PMCID: PMC6695689 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24152771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The chiral structure of antibiotic vancomycin (Van) was exploited as an innovative coordination sphere for the preparation of an IrCp* based hybrid catalysts. We found that Van is able to coordinate iridium (Ir(III)) and the complexation was demonstrated by several analytical techniques such as MALDI-TOF, UV, Circular dichroism (CD), Raman IR, and NMR. The hybrid system so obtained was employed in the Asymmetric Transfer Hydrogenation (ATH) of cyclic imines allowing to obtain a valuable 61% e.e. (R) in the asymmetric reduction of quinaldine 2. The catalytic system exhibited a saturation kinetics with a calculated efficiency of Kcat/KM = 0.688 h−1mM−1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Facchetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Raffaella Bucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Donatella Nava
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Raffaella Gandolfi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Michael S Christodoulou
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Isabella Rimoldi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy.
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Bucci R, Contini A, Clerici F, Beccalli EM, Formaggio F, Maffucci I, Pellegrino S, Gelmi ML. Fluoro-Aryl Substituted α,β 2,3-Peptides in the Development of Foldameric Antiparallel β-Sheets: A Conformational Study. Front Chem 2019; 7:192. [PMID: 31001518 PMCID: PMC6454073 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [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: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
α,β2,3-Disteroisomeric foldamers of general formula Boc(S-Ala-β-2R,3R-Fpg)nOMe or Boc(S-Ala-β-2S,3S-Fpg)nOMe were prepared from both enantiomers of syn H-2-(2-F-Phe)-h-PheGly-OH (named β-Fpg) and S-alanine. Our peptides show two appealing features for biomedical applications: the presence of fluorine, attractive for non-covalent interactions, and aryl groups, crucial for π-stacking. A conformational study was performed, using IR, NMR and computational studies of diastereoisomeric tetra- and hexapeptides containing the β2,3-amino acid in the R,R- and S,S-stereochemistry, respectively. We found that the stability of peptide conformation is dependent on the stereochemistry of the β-amino acid. Combining S-Ala with β-2R,3R-Fpg, a stable extended β-strand conformation was obtained. Furthermore, β-2R,3R-Fpg containing hexapeptide self-assembles to form antiparallel β-sheet structure stabilized by intermolecular H-bonds and π,π-interactions. These features make peptides containing the β2,3-fluoro amino acid very appealing for the development of bioactive proteolytically stable foldameric β-sheets as modulators of protein-protein interaction (PPI).
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Bucci
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Contini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Clerici
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Egle Maria Beccalli
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Irene Maffucci
- CNRS UMR 7025, Génie Enzymatique et Cellulaire, Centre de Recherche de Royallieu, Compiègne, France.,Génie Enzymatique et Cellulaire, Centre de Recherche de Royallieu, Sorbonne Universités, Université de Technologie de Compiègne, Compiègne, France
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Gelmi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DISFARM), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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40
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Oliva F, Bucci R, Tamborini L, Pieraccini S, Pinto A, Pellegrino S. Bicyclic Pyrrolidine-Isoxazoline γ Amino Acid: A Constrained Scaffold for Stabilizing α-Turn Conformation in Isolated Peptides. Front Chem 2019; 7:133. [PMID: 30937302 PMCID: PMC6431668 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Unnatural amino acids have tremendously expanded the folding possibilities of peptides and peptide mimics. While α,α-disubstituted and β-amino acids are widely studied, γ-derivatives have been less exploited. Here we report the conformational study on the bicyclic unnatural γ amino acid, 4,5,6,6a-tetrahydro-3aH-pyrrolo[3,4-d]isoxazole-3-carboxylic acid 1. In model peptides, the (+)-(3aR6aS)-enantiomer is able to stabilize α-turn conformation when associated to glycine, as showed by 1H-NMR, FT-IR, and circular dichroism experiments, and molecular modeling studies. α-turn is a structural motif occurring in many biologically active protein sites, although its stabilization on isolated peptides is quite uncommon. Our results make the unnatural γ-amino acid 1 of particular interest for the development of bioactive peptidomimetics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Raffaella Bucci
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucia Tamborini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Andrea Pinto
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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Bucci R, Contini A, Clerici F, Pellegrino S, Gelmi ML. From glucose to enantiopure morpholino β-amino acid: a new tool for stabilizing γ-turns in peptides. Org Chem Front 2019. [DOI: 10.1039/c8qo01116h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
“Environmentally sustainable” synthesis of a new enantiopure morpholino β-amino acid from glucose: a new tool for exotic peptide architectures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Bucci
- DISFARM-Sez
- Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- 20133 Milano
- Italy
| | - Alessandro Contini
- DISFARM-Sez
- Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- 20133 Milano
- Italy
| | - Francesca Clerici
- DISFARM-Sez
- Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- 20133 Milano
- Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM-Sez
- Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- 20133 Milano
- Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Gelmi
- DISFARM-Sez
- Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- 20133 Milano
- Italy
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Ruffoni A, Ferri N, Pinto A, Pellegrino S, Contini A, Clerici F. Identification of the first enantiopure Rac1-Tiam1 protein-protein interaction inhibitor and its optimized synthesis via phosphine free remote group directed hydroarylation. Medchemcomm 2018; 10:310-314. [PMID: 30931091 DOI: 10.1039/c8md00477c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
A phospine free hydroarylation reaction applied to norbornene derivatives is described for the first time and was exploited for the regioselective gram scale synthesis of AR-148, a known Rac1-Tiam1 PPI inhibitor. Umpolung conversion of the nitro group into free amine allowed the regiocontrol of the key arylation step via a long range effect. The effect of AR-148 in comparison with its enantiomers on Rac1 activation of has been evaluated and (-)AR-148 has been identified as the first enantiomerically pure inhibitor of Rac1-Tiam1 PPI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Ruffoni
- School of Chemistry , University of Manchester , Manchester , M13 9PL , UK .
| | - Nicola Ferri
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences , Via Marzolo 5 , 35131 Padua , Italy
| | - Andrea Pinto
- Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS) , Via Mangiagalli 25 , 20133 Milano , Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , General and Organic Chemistry Section "Alessandro Marchesini" , Via Venezian 21 , 20133 Milano , Italy .
| | - Alessandro Contini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , General and Organic Chemistry Section "Alessandro Marchesini" , Via Venezian 21 , 20133 Milano , Italy .
| | - Francesca Clerici
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences , General and Organic Chemistry Section "Alessandro Marchesini" , Via Venezian 21 , 20133 Milano , Italy .
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Bucci R, Giofré S, Clerici F, Contini A, Pinto A, Erba E, Soave R, Pellegrino S, Gelmi ML. Tetrahydro-4H-(pyrrolo[3,4-d]isoxazol-3-yl)methanamine: A Bicyclic Diamino Scaffold Stabilizing Parallel Turn Conformations. J Org Chem 2018; 83:11493-11501. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.8b01299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Bucci
- DISFARM, Sezione di Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi Milano Via Venezian 21, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Sabrina Giofré
- DISFARM, Sezione di Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi Milano Via Venezian 21, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Francesca Clerici
- DISFARM, Sezione di Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi Milano Via Venezian 21, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Alessandro Contini
- DISFARM, Sezione di Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi Milano Via Venezian 21, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Andrea Pinto
- DeFENS, Sezione di Scienze Chimiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi Milano, Via Celoria 2, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Emanuela Erba
- DISFARM, Sezione di Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi Milano Via Venezian 21, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Raffaella Soave
- CNR-Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari, Via Golgi 19, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM, Sezione di Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi Milano Via Venezian 21, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Gelmi
- DISFARM, Sezione di Chimica Generale e Organica “A. Marchesini”, Università degli Studi Milano Via Venezian 21, Milano 20133, Italy
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Pieper J, Dubnovitsky A, Gerstner C, James EA, Rieck M, Kozhukh G, Tandre K, Pellegrino S, Gebe JA, Rönnblom L, Sandalova T, Kwok WW, Klareskog L, Buckner JH, Achour A, Malmström V. Memory T cells specific to citrullinated α-enolase are enriched in the rheumatic joint. J Autoimmun 2018; 92:47-56. [PMID: 29853344 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2018.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
ACPA-positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with distinct HLA-DR alleles and immune responses to many citrullinated self-antigens. Herein we investigated the T cell epitope confined within α-enolase326-340 in the context of HLA-DRB1*04:01 and assessed the corresponding CD4+ T cells in both the circulation and in the rheumatic joint. Comparative crystallographic analyses were performed for the native and citrullinated α-enolase326-340 peptides in complex with HLA-DRB1*04:01. HLA-tetramers assembled with either the native or citrullinated peptide were used for ex vivo and in vitro assessment of α-enolase-specific T cells in peripheral blood, synovial fluid and synovial tissue by flow cytometry. The native and modified peptides take a completely conserved structural conformation within the peptide-binding cleft of HLA-DRB1*04:01. The citrulline residue-327 was located N-terminally, protruding towards TCRs. The frequencies of T cells recognizing native eno326-340 were similar in synovial fluid and peripheral blood, while in contrast, the frequency of T cells recognizing cit-eno326-340 was significantly elevated in synovial fluid compared to peripheral blood (3.6-fold, p = 0.0150). Additionally, citrulline-specific T cells with a memory phenotype were also significantly increased (1.6-fold, p = 0.0052) in synovial fluid compared to peripheral blood. The native T cell epitope confined within α-enolase326-340 does not appear to lead to complete negative selection of cognate CD4+ T cells. In RA patient samples, only T cells recognizing the citrullinated version of α-enolase326-340 were found at elevated frequencies implicating that neo-antigen formation is critical for breach of tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Pieper
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anatoly Dubnovitsky
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christina Gerstner
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eddie A James
- Tetramer Core, BRI at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mary Rieck
- Translational Research Program, BRI at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Genadiy Kozhukh
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Karolina Tandre
- Department of Medical Sciences, Rheumatology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezione Chimica Generale e Organica, Università degli Studi, Milano, Italy
| | - John A Gebe
- Translational Research Program, BRI at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lars Rönnblom
- Department of Medical Sciences, Rheumatology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tatyana Sandalova
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - William W Kwok
- Translational Research Program, BRI at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lars Klareskog
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jane H Buckner
- Translational Research Program, BRI at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Adnane Achour
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Vivianne Malmström
- Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine Solna, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Evangelista L, Cuocolo A, Pace L, Mansi L, Del Vecchio S, Miletto P, Sanfilippo S, Pellegrino S, Guerra L, Pepe G, Peluso G, Salvatore M, Galicchio R, Zuffante M, Annunziata S, Farsad M, Chiaravalloti A, Spadafora M. Performance of FDG-PET/CT in solitary pulmonary nodule based on pre-test likelihood of malignancy: results from the ITALIAN retrospective multicenter trial. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2018; 45:1898-1907. [PMID: 29736699 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-018-4016-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The aim of this study was to determine the performance of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in patients with solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN), stratifying the risk according to the likelihood of pulmonary malignancy. METHODS FDG-PET/CT of 502 patients, stratified for pre-test cancer risk, were retrospectively analyzed. FDG uptake in SPN was assessed by a 4-point scoring system and semiquantitative analysis using the ratio between SUVmax in SPN and SUVmean in mediastinal blood pool (BP) and between SUVmax in SPN and SUVmean in liver (L). Histopathology and/or follow-up data were used as standard of reference. RESULTS SPN was malignant in 180 (36%) patients, benign in 175 (35%), and indeterminate in 147 (29%). The 355 patients with a definitive SPN nature (malignant or benign) were considered for the analysis. Considering FDG uptake ≥ 2, sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values, and accuracy were 85.6%, 85.7%, 86%, 85.2%, and 85.6% respectively. Sensitivity and PPV were higher (P < 0.05) in intermediate and high-risk patients, while specificity and NPV were higher (P < 0.05) in low-risk patients. On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the cut-offs for better discrimination between benign and malignant SPN were 1.56 (sensitivity 81% and specificity 87%) and 1.12 (sensitivity 81% and specificity 86%) for SUVmax/SUVmeanBP and SUVmax/SUVmeanL respectively. In intermediate and high-risk patients, including the SUVmax/SUVmeanBP, the specificity shifted from 85% and 50% to 100%. CONCLUSION Visual FDG-PET/CT has an acceptable performance in patients with SPN, but accuracy improves when SUVratios are considered, particularly in patients with intermediate and high risk of malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Evangelista
- SSD Medicina Nucleare e Imaging Molecolare, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IOV - IRCCS, Padova, Italy.
| | - Alberto Cuocolo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Avanzate, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Leonardo Pace
- Dipartimento di Medicina, Chirurgia e Odontoiatria "Scuola Medica Salernitana", Università degli Studi di Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Luigi Mansi
- Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile, Napoli-Roma, Italy
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Avanzate, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Paolo Miletto
- Struttura Complessa di Medicina Nucleare, Ospedale San Giuseppe Moscati, Avellino, Italy
| | - Silvia Sanfilippo
- Servizio di Medicina Nucleare, Policlinico S. Orsola Malpighi, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche Avanzate, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Luca Guerra
- Unità di Medicina Nucleare, Ospedale San Gerardo, Università di Milano Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Giovanna Pepe
- Unità di Medicina Nucleare, Cancer Center, Ospedale Humanitas, Rozzano, Milano, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Peluso
- Unità di Medicina Nucleare, Dipartimento delle Immagini, Medicina Futura IOS, Acerra, Napoli, Italy
| | - Marco Salvatore
- Unità di Medicina Nucleare, Dipartimento delle Immagini, SDN-IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Rosj Galicchio
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basilicata-IRCCS, Potenza, Italy
| | - Michele Zuffante
- Unità di Medicina Nucleare, Dipartimento delle Immagini, Ospedale Universitario Integrato di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Salvatore Annunziata
- Istituto di Medicina Nucleare, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy
| | - Mohsen Farsad
- Dipartimento di Medicina Nucleare, Ospedale di Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Agostino Chiaravalloti
- Dipartimento di Biomedicina e Prevenzione, Università Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy.,Servizio di Medicina Nucleare, IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, IS, Italy
| | - Marco Spadafora
- Struttura Complessa di Medicina Nucleare, Ospedale San Giuseppe Moscati, Avellino, Italy.,Struttura Complessa di Medicina Nucleare, Ospedale del Mare, Napoli, Italy
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Salvatore B, Fonti R, De Renzo A, Pellegrino S, Ferrara IL, Mainolfi CG, Marano L, Selleri C, Pane F, Del Vecchio S, Pace L. 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in primary extranodal lymphomas: treatment response evaluation and prognosis. Q J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2018; 64:219-225. [PMID: 29697219 DOI: 10.23736/s1824-4785.18.03043-1] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We evaluated the role of [18F]FDG PET/CT in tumor response assessment and prognosis of primary extranodal lymphoma (PEL) patients. METHODS We examined retrospectively, 56 PEL patients: 31 with aggressive diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and 25 with indolent lymphoma (20 mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma and five follicular lymphoma). All patients had undergone [18F]FDG PET/CT at diagnosis (PET-I) and 50 of them also after therapy (PET-II). Moreover, 52 patients were subjected to a mean follow-up period of 76 months. RESULTS PET-I was positive in 50 (89%) patients (mean SUVmax 10.3±6.7). In the assessment of tumor response, according to Lugano classification, 45 patients showed complete metabolic response (CMR), four patients had partial metabolic response (PMR) and one had progressive metabolic disease (PMD). Based on 66% ΔSUVmax cut-off, among CMR patients, 41 showed a ΔSUVmax>66% whereas among non-responders, four patients showed a ΔSUVmax<66%. At follow-up, univariate analysis showed that age, performance status, prognostic index, ΔSUVmax and Lugano classification predicted progression-free survival (PFS) (P<0.05), while, performance status, prognostic index, ΔSUVmax and Lugano classification predicted overall survival (OS) (P<0.05). At multivariate analysis only Lugano classification was retained in the model for prediction of both PFS (P<0.05) and OS (P<0.05). By Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank testing both PFS and OS were significantly better in patients in CMR as compared to patients in PMR or PMD according to Lugano classification (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS [18F]FDG PET/CT represents a useful tool in the detection of disease response and in the evaluation of outcome in PEL patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Salvatore
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy
| | - Rosa Fonti
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Naples, Italy -
| | - Amalia De Renzo
- Department of Surgery and Clinical Medicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Ida L Ferrara
- Scuola Medica Salernitana Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Ciro G Mainolfi
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Luana Marano
- Department of Surgery and Clinical Medicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmine Selleri
- Scuola Medica Salernitana Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Pane
- Department of Surgery and Clinical Medicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Silvana Del Vecchio
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Leonardo Pace
- Scuola Medica Salernitana Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
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Hafstrand I, Doorduijn EM, Sun R, Talyzina A, Sluijter M, Pellegrino S, Sandalova T, Duru AD, van Hall T, Achour A. The Immunogenicity of a Proline-Substituted Altered Peptide Ligand toward the Cancer-Associated TEIPP Neoepitope Trh4 Is Unrelated to Complex Stability. J Immunol 2018; 200:2860-2868. [PMID: 29507106 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Human cancers frequently display defects in Ag processing and presentation allowing for immune evasion, and they therefore constitute a significant challenge for T cell-based immunotherapy. We have previously demonstrated that the antigenicity of tumor-associated Ags can be significantly enhanced through unconventional residue modifications as a novel tool for MHC class I (MHC-I)-based immunotherapy approaches. We have also previously identified a novel category of cancer neo-epitopes, that is, T cell epitopes associated with impaired peptide processing (TEIPP), that are selectively presented by MHC-I on cells lacking the peptide transporter TAP. In this study, we demonstrate that substitution of the nonanchoring position 3 into a proline residue of the first identified TEIPP peptide, the murine Trh4, results in significantly enhanced recognition by antitumor CTLs toward the wild-type epitope. Although higher immunogenicity has in most cases been associated with increased MHC/peptide complex stability, our results demonstrate that the overall stability of H-2Db in complex with the highly immunogenic altered peptide ligand Trh4-p3P is significantly reduced compared with wild-type H-2Db/Trh4. Comparison of the crystal structures of the H-2Db/Trh4-p3P and H-2Db/Trh4 complexes revealed that the conformation of the nonconventional methionine anchor residue p5M is altered, deleting its capacity to form adequate sulfur-π interactions with H-2Db residues, thus reducing the overall longevity of the complex. Collectively, our results indicate that vaccination with Thr4-p3P significantly enhances T cell recognition of targets presenting the wild-type TEIPP epitope and that higher immunogenicity is not necessarily directly related to MHC/peptide complex stability, opening for the possibility to design novel peptide vaccines with reduced MHC/peptide complex stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Hafstrand
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elien M Doorduijn
- Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Renhua Sun
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Talyzina
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marjolein Sluijter
- Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, General and Organic Chemistry Section, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Tatyana Sandalova
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Adil Doganay Duru
- Cell Therapy Institute, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314; and.,College of Allopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328
| | - Thorbald van Hall
- Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands;
| | - Adnane Achour
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden; .,Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
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48
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Bucci R, Das P, Iannuzzi F, Feligioni M, Gandolfi R, Gelmi ML, Reches M, Pellegrino S. Self-assembly of an amphipathic ααβ-tripeptide into cationic spherical particles for intracellular delivery. Org Biomol Chem 2018; 15:6773-6779. [PMID: 28767120 DOI: 10.1039/c7ob01693j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The development of molecular carriers able to carry molecules directly into the cell is an area of intensive research. Cationic nanoparticles are effective delivery systems for several classes of molecules, such as anticancer agents, oligonucleotides and antibodies. Indeed, a cationic charge on the outer surface allows a rapid cellular uptake together with the possibility of carrying negatively charged molecules. In this work, we studied the self-assembly of an ultra-short ααβ-tripeptide containing an l-Arg-l-Ala sequence and an unnatural fluorine substituted β2,3-diaryl-amino acid. The presence of the unnatural β2,3-diaryl-amino acid allowed us to obtain a protease stable sequence. Furthermore, an arginine guanidinium group triggered the formation of spherical assemblies that were able to load small molecules and enter cells. These spherical architectures, thus, represent interesting candidates for the delivery of exogenous entities directly into cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Bucci
- University of Milano, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Milano, Italy.
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49
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Pellegrino S, Facchetti G, Gandolfi R, Fusè M, Erba E, Rimoldi I. Ruthenium(II) complexes bearing (NNN) ligand: catalytic evaluation of different solvent-mediated coordination modes. CAN J CHEM 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjc-2017-0487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
A new (NNN) tridentate ligand was prepared, and its ability to coordinate ruthenium(II) was evaluated. The presence of different functional groups on the ligand allows bi- or tri-coordinated complexes to be obtained depending on complexation conditions. The catalytic activity of both bidentate and tridentate complexes was studied in asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of different aryl ketones, showing a comparable behavior of the two complexes in terms of efficiency and stereoselectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Giorgio Facchetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Raffella Gandolfi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Marco Fusè
- Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza dei Cavalieri 7, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Emanuela Erba
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Isabella Rimoldi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21, 20133 Milano, Italy
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50
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Hafstrand I, Badia-Martinez D, Josey BJ, Norström M, Buratto J, Pellegrino S, Duru AD, Sandalova T, Achour A. Crystal structures of H-2Db in complex with the LCMV-derived peptides GP92 and GP392 explain pleiotropic effects of glycosylation on antigen presentation and immunogenicity. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0189584. [PMID: 29253009 PMCID: PMC5734757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Post-translational modifications significantly broaden the epitope repertoire for major histocompatibility class I complexes (MHC-I) and may allow viruses to escape immune recognition. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection of H-2b mice generates CD8+ CTL responses directed towards several MHC-I-restricted epitopes including the peptides GP92 (CSANNSHHYI) and GP392 (WLVTNGSYL), both with a N-glycosylation site. Interestingly, glycosylation has different effects on the immunogenicity and association capacity of these two epitopes to H-2Db. To assess the structural bases underlying these functional results, we determined the crystal structures of H-2Db in complex with GP92 (CSANNSHHYI) and GP392 (WLVTNGSYL) to 2.4 and 2.5 Å resolution, respectively. The structures reveal that while glycosylation of GP392 most probably impairs binding, the glycosylation of the asparagine residue in GP92, which protrudes towards the solvent, possibly allows for immune escape and/or forms a neo-epitope that may select for a different set of CD8 T cells. Altogether, the presented results provide a structural platform underlying the effects of post-translational modifications on epitope binding and/or immunogenicity, resulting in viral immune escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Hafstrand
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Daniel Badia-Martinez
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Benjamin John Josey
- NSU Cell Therapy Institute, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United State of America
- College of Allopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United State of America
| | - Melissa Norström
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jérémie Buratto
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sara Pellegrino
- DISFARM, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Sezinone Chimica Generale e Organica, Università degli Studi, Milano, Italy
| | - Adil Doganay Duru
- NSU Cell Therapy Institute, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United State of America
- College of Allopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United State of America
| | - Tatyana Sandalova
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Adnane Achour
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
- * E-mail:
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