Benzofuran Iboga-analogs Modulate Nociception and Inflammation in an Acute Mouse Pain Model.

Pain management following acute injury or post-operative procedures is highly necessary for proper recovery and quality of life. Opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) have been used for this purpose, but opioids cause addiction and withdrawal symptoms whereas NSAIDS have several systemic toxicities. Derivatives of the naturally occurring iboga alkaloids have previously shown promising behavior in anti-addiction of morphine by virtue of their interaction with opioid receptors. On this frontier, four benzofuran analogs of the iboga family have been synthesized and their analgesic effects have been studied in formalin induced acute pain model in Swiss albino mice at 30 mg/kg of body weight dose administered intraperitoneally. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuro-modulatory effects of the analogs were analyzed. Reversal of tail flick latency, restricted locomotion and anxiogenic behavior were observed in iboga alcohol, primary amide and secondary amide. Local neuroinflammatory mediators' substance P, calcitonin gene related peptide, cyclooxygenase-2 and p65 were significantly decreased whereas the depletion of brain derived neurotrophic factor and glia derived neurotrophic factor was overturned on iboga analog treatment. Behavioral patterns after oral administration of the best analog were also analyzed. Taken together, these results show that the iboga family of alkaloid has huge potential in pain management.

Association of dopamine receptor D3 polymorphism with Levodopa-induced Dyskinesia: A study on Parkinson's disease patients from India.

INTRODUCTION: Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a debilitating motor feature in a subset of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) after prolonged therapeutic administration of levodopa. Preliminary animal and human studies are suggestive of a key role of dopamine type 3 (D3) receptor polymorphism (Ser9Gly; rs6280) in LID. Its contribution to development of LID among Indian PD patients has remained relatively unexplored and merits further investigation. METHODS AND MATERIALS: 200 well-characterised PD patients (100 without LID and 100 with LID) and 100 age-matched healthy controls were recruited from the outpatient department of Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata. MDS-UPDRS (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale from International Movement Disorder Society) Part III and AIMS (abnormal involuntary movement scale) were performed for estimation of severity of motor features and LID respectively in the ON state of the disease. Participants were analysed for the presence of Ser9Gly single nucleotide variant (SNV) (rs6280) by polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques. RESULTS: The frequency of AA genotype (serine type) was more frequently present in PD patients with LID compared to PD patients without LID (50 % vs 28 %; P = 0.002; OR = 2.57, 95 % CI: 1.43 - 4.62). The abnormal involuntary movement scale score was significantly higher in PD patients with AA genotype compared to carriers of glycine allele (AG + GG) (4.08 ± 3.35; P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: We observed a significant association of serine type SNV (rs6280) in D3 receptor gene in a cohort of PD patients with LID from India. More severe motor severity was found in patients with glycine substitution of the same SNV. The current study emphasised the role of D3 receptor in the pathogenesis of LID.

Role of Influenza A virus protein NS1 in regulating host nuclear body ND10 complex formation and its involvement in establishment of viral pathogenesis.

Influenza viral infection is a seasonal infection which causes widespread acute respiratory issues among humans globally. This virus changes its surface receptor composition to escape the recognition process by the host's immune cells. Therefore, the present study focussed to identify some other important viral proteins which have a significant role in establishment of infection and having apparent conserved structural composition. This could facilitate the permanent vaccine development process or help in designing a drug against IAV (influenza A virus) infection which will eliminate the seasonal flu shot vaccination process. The NS1 (Non-structural protein 1) protein of IAV maintains a conserved structural motif. Earlier studies have shown its significant role in infection establishment. However, the mechanism by which viruses escape the host's ND10 antiviral action remains elusive. The present study clearly showed that IAV infection and NS1 transfection in A549 cells degraded the main component of the ND10 anti-viral complex, PML and therefore, inhibited the formation of Daxx-sp100-p53-PML complex (ND10) at the mid phase of infection/transfection. PML degradation activated the stress axis which increased cellular ROS (reactive oxygen species) levels as well as mitochondrial dysfunction. Additionally, IAV/NS1 increased cellular stress and p53 accumulation at the late phase of infection. These collectively activated apoptotic pathway in the host cells. Along with the inactivation of several interferon proteins, IAV was found to decrease p-IKKε. A549 cells transfected with pcDNA3.1-NS1 showed a similar effect in the interferon axis and IKKε. Moreover, NS1 induced the disintegration of the host's ND10 complex through the changes in the SUMOylation pattern of the PML nuclear body. These findings suggest the possible mechanism of how NS1 helps IAV to establish infection in the host cells. However, it demands further detailed study before targeting NS1 to develop permanent vaccines or novel drugs against IAV in future.

Levodopa-induced Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease: Plausible Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers.

BACKGROUND: Pathophysiology of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) remains obscure. Increased dopamine metabolism due to prolonged levodopa treatment can exacerbate oxidative damage and neuroinflammatory pathology in Parkinson's disease (PD). Association of novel peripheral markers with LID severity might provide insight into LID pathomechanisms. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to study specific peripheral blood inflammatory-oxidative markers in LID patients and investigate their association with clinical severity of LID. METHOD: Motor, non-motor and cognitive changes in PD with and without LID compared to healthy-matched controls were identified. Within the same cohort, inflammatory marker (sLAG3, TOLLIP, NLRP3 and IL-1ß) levels and antioxidant enzyme activities were determined by ELISA and spectrophotometric methods. RESULTS: LID patients showed distinctly upregulated TOLLIP, IL-1ß levels with significant diminution of antioxidant activity compared to controls. Significant negative association of cognitive markers with oxidative changes was also observed. CONCLUSION: To our understanding, this is the first study that indicates the involvement of toll-like receptor-mediated distinct and low-grade inflammatory activation in LID pathophysiology.

Design of Chiral ß-Double Helices from γ-Peptide Foldamers.

Chirality is ubiquitous in nature, and homochirality is manifested in many biomolecules. Although ß-double helices are rare in peptides and proteins, they consist of alternating L- and D-amino acids. No peptide double helices with homochiral amino acids have been observed. Here, we report chiral ß-double helices constructed from γ-peptides consisting of alternating achiral (E)-α,ß-unsaturated 4,4-dimethyl γ-amino acids and chiral (E)-α,ß-unsaturated γ-amino acids in both single crystals and in solution. The two independent strands of the same peptide intertwine to form a ß-double helix structure, and it is stabilized by inter-strand hydrogen bonds. The peptides with chiral (E)-α,ß-unsaturated γ-amino acids derived from α-L-amino acids adopt a (P)-ß-double helix, whereas peptides consisting of (E)-α,ß-unsaturated γ-amino acids derived from α-D-amino acids adopt an (M)-ß-double helix conformation. The circular dichroism (CD) signature of the (P) and (M)-ß-double helices and the stability of these peptides at higher temperatures were examined. Furthermore, ion transport studies suggested that these peptides transport ions across membranes. Even though the structural analogy suggests that these new ß-double helices are structurally different from those of the α-peptide ß-double helices, they retain ion transport activity. The results reported here may open new avenues in the design of functional foldamers.

Anion Tuned Structural Modulation and Nonlinear Optical Effects of Metal-Ion Directed 310 -Helix Networks.

Metals play an important role in the structure and functions of various proteins. The combination of metal ions and peptides have been emerging as an attractive field to create advanced structures and biomaterials. Here, we are reporting the anion-influenced, silver ion coordinated diverse networks of designed short tripeptide 310 -helices with terminal pyridyl groups. The short peptides adopted classical right-handed, left-handed and 310 EL -helical conformations in the presence of different silver salts. The peptides have displayed conformational flexibility to accommodate different sizes and interactions of anions to yield a variety of metal-coordinated networks. The complexes of metal ions and peptides have shown different porous networks, right- and left-handed helical polymers, transformation of helix into superhelix and 2 : 2 metal-peptide macrocycles. Further, the metal-peptide crystals with inherent dipoles of helical peptides gave striking second harmonic generation response. The optical energy upconversion from NIR to red and green light is demonstrated. Overall, we have shown the utilization of short 310 -helices for the construction of diverse metal-coordinated helical networks and notable non-linear optical effects.

Proteolytically Stable ααγ-Hybrid Peptides Inhibit the Aggregation and Cytotoxicity of Aß42.

The recent approval of antibody-based therapy for targeting the clearance of amyloid plaques fuels the research in designing small molecules and peptide inhibitors to target the aggregation of Aß-peptides. Here, we report that the 15-residue ααγ-hybrid peptide not only inhibits the aggregation of soluble Aß42 into fibrils but also disintegrates the aggregated Aß42 fibrils into smaller assemblies. Further, the hybrid peptide completely rescues neuronal cells from the toxicity of Aß42 at equimolar concentrations. The shorter 10- and 12-mer peptides showed weak aggregation inhibition activity, while the fully hydrophobic 15-mer ααγ-hybrid peptide analogue showed no aggregation inhibition activity. Further, the 15-mer ααγ-hybrid peptide showed resistance against trypsin digestion and also nontoxic to the neuronal cells. The CD revealed that the peptide upon interaction induces a helix-type conformation in the Aß42. This is in sharp contrast to the ß-sheet conformation of Aß42 upon incubation. The two-dimensional-NMR (2D-NMR) analysis revealed a large perturbation in the chemical shifts of residues at the N-terminus. The presence of 15-mer peptide at an equimolar concentration of Aß42 showed less tendency for aggregation and also exhibited nontoxicity to the neuronal cells. The results reported here may be useful in designing new therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease.

Enhanced inflammasome-mediated inflammation and impaired autophagy in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease severity.

AIMS: Identification of the progress of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is crucial for their effective treatment. Circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) could be a surrogate monitor instead of complicated and expensive biopsies. Changes in immuno-metabolic status in NAFLD patients may be reflected by an expression of different PBMC-specific molecular markers. It was hypothesized that impaired autophagy with enhanced inflammasome activation is a critical molecular event in PBMC that could contribute to systemic inflammation associated with NAFLD progression. MAIN METHODS: A cross-sectional study with a sample size of 50 subjects were undertaken from a governmental facility in Kolkata, India. Major anthropometric, biochemical, and dietary parameters were recorded. Cellular and serum samples of NAFLD patients were analyzed for oxidative stress, inflammation, inflammasome activation, and autophagic flux by western blot, flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry. KEY FINDINGS: Baseline anthropometric and clinical parameters were found associated with NAFLD severity. Elevated systemic inflammation was reflected by higher proinflammatory markers like iNOS, Cox-2, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1ß, hsCRP in the serum of NAFLD subjects (p < 0.05). ROS-induced NLRP3 inflammasomes marker proteins were upregulated (p < 0.05) in PBMC along with NAFLD severity. Expression of autophagic markers such as LC3B, Beclin-1 and its regulator pAMPKα were found diminished (p < 0.05) with a concomitant rise of p62. Colocalization of NLRP3 with LC3B proteins in PBMC was found diminished along NAFLD severity. SIGNIFICANCE: Present data provide mechanistic evidence of impaired autophagy and intracellular ROS triggered inflammasome activation in PBMC, which could potentially exacerbate NAFLD severity.

Vitamin D deficiency and genetic polymorphisms of vitamin D-associated genes in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) and vitamin D share a unique link as vitamin D deficiency (VDD) prevails in PD. Thus, an in-depth understanding of vitamin D biology in PD might be crucial for therapeutic strategies emphasising vitamin D. Specifically, explicating the effect of VDD and genetic polymorphisms of vitamin D-associated genes in PD, like VDR (vitamin D receptor) or GC (vitamin D binding protein) may aid the process along with polymorphisms of vitamin D metabolising genes (e.g., CYP2R1 and CYP27A1) in PD. Literature review of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to vitamin D levels [GC (GC1-rs7041 and GC2-rs4588), CYP2R1, CYP24A1 and CYP27B1] and vitamin D function [VDR (FokI - rs2228570 and rs10735810; ApaI - rs7976091, rs7975232BsmI and rs1544410; and TaqI - rs731236)] was conducted to explore their relationship with PD severity globally. VDR-FokI polymorphism was reported to be significantly associated with PD in Hungarian, Chinese and Japanese populations, whereas VDR-ApaI polymorphism was found to affect PD in the Iranian population. However, VDR-TaqI and BsmI polymorphisms had no significant association with PD severity. Conversely, GC1 polymorphisms reportedly affected vitamin D levels without influencing the disease severity. CYP2R1 (excluding rs1993116) was also reportedly linked to clinical manifestations of PD. Genetic polymorphisms might cause VDD despite enough sunlight exposure and vitamin D-rich food intake, enhancing inflammation, there by influencing PD pathophysiology. Knowledge of the polymorphisms associated with VDD appears promising for developing precision vitamin D-dosing therapeutic strategies against PD.

Foldamer Nanotubes Mediated Label-Free Detection of Protein-Small Molecule Interactions.

Development of miniaturized lab-on-chip devices for the detection of rapid and specific small molecule-protein binding interactions at very low concentrations holds significant importance in drug discovery and biomedical applications. Here, the label-free detection of small molecule-protein interactions is reported on the surface functionalizable nanotubes of α,γ-hybrid peptide helical foldamers using nanoscale capacitance and impedance spectroscopy. The 12-helix conformation of the α,γ-hybrid peptide observed in the single crystals, self-assembled into nanotubes in an aqueous environment with exposed cysteine thiols for small molecule conjugation. The binding of streptavidin to the covalently linked biotin on the surface of nanotubes was detected at the picomolar concentrations. No change in the capacitance and impedance were observed in the absence of either immobilized biotin or protein streptavidin. The functionalizable hybrid peptide nanotubes reported here pave the way for the label-free detection of various small molecule protein interactions at very low concentrations.

Dietary and Environmental Risk Factors in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Disease: A Semi-Quantitative Pilot Study.

Objective: Environmental influence and dietary variations are well-known risk factors for various diseases including neurodegenerative disorders. Preliminary evidence suggests that diet in early-life and living environment might influence the incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD) in later phase of life. There have been limited epidemiologic studies on this aspect especially in India. In this hospital-based case-control study, we intended to identify dietary and environmental risk factors of PD. Methods: Patients with PD (n = 105), Alzheimer's disease (AD) (n = 53) and healthy individuals (n = 81) were recruited. Dietary intake and environmental exposures were assessed using a validated Food-Frequency and Environmental Hazard Questionnaire. Their demographic details and living environment were also recorded using the same questionnaire. Results: Pre-morbid consumption of carbohydrate and fat was significantly higher whereas dietary fiber and fruit content was significantly lesser in PD as compared to AD and healthy age-matched controls. Meat and milk intake was the highest among all the food groups in PD patients. Rural living and their habitation near water bodies were significantly more frequent in PD patients. Conclusion: We found that past intake of carbohydrate, fat, milk, and meat are associated with increased risk of PD. On the other hand, rural living and habitat near water bodies might be associated with incidence and severity of PD. Hence, preventive strategies related to dietary and environmental modulators in PD might be clinically useful in the future.

Fluorescence detection of Al3+ ion in aqueous medium and live cell imaging by ESIPT probe (E)-N'-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-4-hydroxybenzohydrazide.

The molecule (E)-N'-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-4-hydroxybenzohydrazide (BHHB) has been synthesized and its photophysical properties have been investigated by using steady state absorption, emission and time resolved emission spectroscopy. The molecule shows excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process with characteristics large Stoke shifted emission. Fluorescence enhancement of BHHB only in presence of Al3+ ion is used as selective aluminium ion sensor in the sub-nano molar scale in aqueous solution. BHHB-Al3+ ion complex can penetrate through live Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HepG2) cell membranes and is capable for imaging of nucleus of live cells by fluorescence confocal microscopy.

Oleic acid prevents erythrocyte death by preserving haemoglobin and erythrocyte membrane proteins.

Haemolysis of erythrocytes upon exposure to haemato-toxic phenylhydrazine (PHZ), makes it an experimental model of anaemia and a partial model of ß-thalassaemia, where oxidative stress (OS) was identified as principal causative factor. Oleic acid (OA) was evidenced to ameliorate such stress with antioxidative potential. Erythrocytes were incubated in vitro using 1 mM PHZ, 0.06 nM OA. Erythrocyte membrane protein densities and haemoglobin (Hb) status were examined. Any interaction of Hb with PHZ/OA was checked by calorimetric and spectroscopic analysis using pure molecules. Occurrence of erythrocyte apoptosis and involvement of free iron in all groups were evaluated. PHZ exposure to erythrocytes results in OS with subsequent apoptosis as evidenced from increased lipid peroxidation and translocation of phosphatidylserine in outer membrane. Preservations of erythrocyte cytoskeletal architecture and membrane bound enzyme activity were found in presence of OA. Moreover, both heme and globin of Hb was examined to be conserved by OA. Presence of OA, impeded apoptosis also, possibly by thwarting Hb breakdown followed by free iron release and consequent free radical generation. Additionally, direct sequential binding of OA with PHZ endorsed another protective mechanism of OA toward erythrocytes. OA affords protection to erythrocytes by conserving its major components and prevents haemolysis which project OA as a haemato-protective agent. Apart from combating PHZ toxicity, anti-apoptotic action of OA strongly suggests its usage in anaemia and ß-thalassaemia patients to curb irreversible erythrocyte breakdown. This research strongly recommends OA in pure form or from dietary sources as a therapeutic against haemolytic disorders.

Stereoselective synthesis of backbone extended π-conjugated amino esters.

Utilization of the Wittig reaction to synthesize conjugative multiple double bonds is rare. We examined the utility of the Wittig reaction to construct conjugative two and three carbon-carbon double bonds on the N-protected amino acid backbone. The ethyl esters of N-Boc amino acids with multiple carbon-carbon double bonds in the backbone were isolated in excellent yields with exceptional E-selectivity of the double bonds. The allylic alcohols of α,ß-unsaturated γ-amino esters were selectively synthesized from the DIBAL-H and BF3·OEt2. The allylic alcohols were transformed into aldehydes using IBX oxidation. Using this protocol, we synthesized ethyl esters of N-Boc-(E,E)-α,ß,γ,δ-unsaturated ε-amino acids with various side-chain functionalities and ethyl esters of N-Boc-(E,E,E)-α,ß,γ,δ,ε,ζ-unsaturated η-amino acids with excellent yields. We speculated the exceptional E-selectivity is probably due to the stabilization of the planar transition state of the Wittig reaction with the double bond p-orbitals. No racemization was observed in the synthesis of amino acids. The reported process may serve as an excellent route to synthesize multiple conjugative carbon-carbon double bonds.

Ameliorative effects of clindamycin - nanoceria conjugate: A ROS responsive smart drug delivery system for diabetic wound healing study.

BACKGROUND: Increased incidence of antibiotic-resistant species calls for development of new types of nano-medicine that can be used for healing of bacteria-caused wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcer. As diabetic patients have inefficient defense mechanism against reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in our body as a by-product of oxygen reduction, the process of wound healing takes longer epithelialisation period. Ceria nanoparticles (CNPs) are well-known for their antibacterial and ROS-scavenging nature. Yet till now no significant effort has been made to conjugate ceria nanoparticles with drugs to treat diabetic wounds. METHODS: In this experiment, CNPs were synthesized in-house and clindamycin hydrochloride was loaded onto it by physical adsorption method for reactive oxygen species responsive drug delivery. Various physico-chemical characterisations such as Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Energy dispersive X-ray, Thermogravimetric study etc. were performed to affirm the formation of both nanoceria along with drug encapsulated nanoceria. RESULTS: Both of these as-prepared formulations inhibited the growth of Gram-positive as well as Gram-negative bacteria confirmed by Disk diffusion study; exhibiting their antibacterial effect. In-vitro drug release study was carried out in physiological environment both in absence and presence of hydrogen peroxide solution to test the reactive ROS-responsiveness of the drug loaded nanocomposites. It also exhibited faster wound healing in diabetes-induced rats. Therefore, it could successfully lower the amount of serum glucose level, inflammation cytokines, hepatotoxic and oxidative stress markers in diabetic rats as confirmed by various ex vivo tests conducted. CONCLUSION: Thus, drug loaded ceria nanoparticles have the potential to heal diabetic wounds successfully and can be considered to be useful for the fabrication of appropriate medicated suppositories beneficial for diabetic foot ulcer treatment in future.

Self-care practices and quality of life of filariasis patients in a gram panchayat of Paschim Burdwan district, West Bengal, India.

Background & objectives: Self-care management is one of the important components in the goal of elimination of lymphatic filariasis (LF) and Quality of Life (QoL) has become an important deliverable in the present day health care system. The objective was to assess the self-care management of the affected limb and to find out the quality of life who were suffering from lymphoedema. Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted during 2019-2020 in a Gourbazar gram panchayat area of Paschim Burdwan district of West Bengal, India. QoL was assessed by Lymphatic Filariasis Specific Quality of life Questionnaire (LFSQQ). Results: Total 115 LF patients were identified with a mean age of 53.9 years. About 26.1% correctly knew the management of the affected area. Out of the 33 patients having cracked skin, around 39.4% used to take care of the affected skin. Overall, median quality of life score was found to be 77.84 (65.90-89.20). Age-wise, median score gradually decreased with increase in age except in the age group of 50-60 years. Males had higher score compared to females (79.54 vs. 76.13). Activity domain score was found to be lowest followed by mobility score, while social and psychological domain score was found to be good. Interpretation & conclusion: Self-care practice is not known to the affected patients. Time has also come to integrate measures like rehabilitation, psychological intervention, social assistance in addition to self-care management to put up a holistic approach of the existing program.

Novel inflammasome and oxidative modulators in Parkinson's disease: A prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: The etiopathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is not clear. Yet, it seems likely that inflammation as well as oxidative stress plays a major role in the disease pathogenesis. Based on our previous findings, we aimed to investigate prospective changes in peripheral inflammasome and oxidative modulators in relation to the progression of motor symptoms and severity of PD. METHODS: Levels of inflammatory and oxidative markers in the serum of PD patients and healthy controls were estimated by quantitative ELISA and spectrophotometric methods at the baseline and at the end of one year. RESULTS: In PD patients, serum NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1ß levels increased significantly over a year, compared to the baseline. The average enzymatic activity of serum SOD1 was also augmented at one-year follow-up. Alongside these serummarker changes, the mean motorseverity of this patient cohort worsened over the time period. CONCLUSION: This pioneering study identified a novel association of peripheral inflammatory and oxidative markers with the progression of PD. Correlation of these serum proteins with the central pathological changes in PD and disease severity in a prospective manner might be useful not only for prognostication, but for understanding disease mechanisms and for planning future therapeutic strategies.

Sequence dependent folding motifs of the secondary structures of Gly-Pro and Pro-Gly containing oligopeptides.

Folding motifs of the secondary structures of peptides and proteins are primarily based on the hydrogen bonding interactions in the backbone as well as the sequence of the amino acid residues present. For instance, the ß-turn structure directed by the Pro-Gly sequence is the key to the ß-hairpin structure of peptides/proteins as well as a selective site for the enzymatic hydroxylation of pro-collagen. Herein, we have investigated the sequence dependent folding motifs of end-protected Gly-Pro and Pro-Gly dipeptides using a combination of gas phase laser spectroscopy, quantum chemistry calculations, solution phase IR and NMR spectroscopy and single crystal X-Ray diffraction (XRD). All three observed conformers of the Gly-Pro peptide in the gas phase have been found to have extended ß-strand or polyproline-II (PP-II) structures with C5-C7 hydrogen bonding interactions, which correlates well with the structure obtained from solution phase spectroscopy and XRD. On the other hand, we have found that the Pro-Gly peptide has a C10/ß-turn structure in the solution phase in contrast to the C7-C7 (i.e. 27-ribbon) structure observed in the gas phase. Although the lowest energy structure in the gas phase is not C10, we find that C7-C7 is an abundantly found structural motif of Pro-Gly containing peptides in the Cambridge Structural Database, indicating that the gas phase conformers are not sampling any unusual forms. We surmise that the role of the solvent could be crucial in dictating the preferential stabilization of the C10 structure in the solution phase. The present investigation provides a comprehensive picture of the folding motifs of the Gly-Pro and Pro-Gly peptides observed in the gas phase and condensed phase weaving a fine interplay of the intrinsic conformational properties, solvation, and crystal packing of the peptides.

Do peripheral immune and neurotrophic markers correlate with motor severity of Parkinson's disease?

BACKGROUND: Inflammation along with oxidative stress alters neuroplasticity which might contribute to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore the correlation of inflammatory-oxidative and neurotrophic changes in PD and their association with clinical staging and motor severity. METHODS: Serum oxidative markers, pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines and BDNF levels were estimated by spectrophotometric and ELISA techniques. RESULTS: Redox-Inflammatory and neurotrophic markers significantly altered in PD and strongly correlated with motor severity and stagings of PD. CONCLUSION: This study establishes a link between peripheral immune-neurotrophic markers and disease severity in PD. This can lead to novel future therapeutics.

Metal-Coordinated Supramolecular Polymers from the Minimalistic Hybrid Peptide Foldamers.

Availing the peptide folded architectures to design metal-coordinated frameworks and cages is restricted due to the scarcity of readily accessible short and stable secondary structures. The secondary structures, α-helix and ß-sheets, play significant roles in stabilizing tertiary folds of proteins. Designing such helical structures from the short sequences of peptides without having any steric restrictions is exceptionally challenging. Here we reveal the short α,γ-hybrid tripeptide sequences that manifest stable helical structures without having any sterically constrained amino acids. These short hybrid tripeptides fold into helices even in the presence of two typically ß-sheet favoring Val residues. The hybrid helix consisting of terminal pyridine units coordinates with the metal ions and drives the helical polymerization. Depending on the sequence and the position of N in pyridine moieties, these peptides form selective metallogels with Ag+ and Cu2+ ions. The X-ray diffracted analysis of the peptide single crystals obtained from the gel matrix reveals that the helical structure is maintained during the self-assembly process. Further, by varying the counter anion, a 3D helical crystalline coordination polymer with permanent porosity is generated. The findings reported here can be used to design new functional metal-foldamer coordinated polymers.