Milk proteins provide a natural source of bioactive peptides with potential health benefits and applications in the food industry. The release of these peptides from milk proteins is achieved either by hydrolysis using digestive proteases or by lactic acid bacteria fermentation. Peptides, particularly those derived from milk proteins, can exert a wide range of nutritional, functional and biolog...

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) is a devastating condition associated with gadolinium (Gd3+)-based contrast agents (GBCAs) in patients with kidney disease. The release of toxic Gd3+ from GBCAs likely plays a major role in NSF pathophysiology. The cause and etiology of Gd3+ release from GBCAs is unknown. Increased Acidic Serine Aspartate Rich MEPE-associated peptides (ASARM peptides) induce ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Lactobacillus plantarum strains are known to exhibit an antimicrobial property against bacteria and fungi. In the present investigation, AMPs LR14, antimicrobial peptides produced by L. plantarum strain LR/14, were tested against a protozoan system, Plasmodium falciparum and its non-toxic nature was envisaged on a mammalian system. METHODS Human erythrocytes infected...

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is now well-established widely as a signalling molecule with non-hydrolytic functions including trophic activity in a diverse variety of situations in both neural and non-neural tissues. We have focussed on the observation that AChE, operating as a trophic agent independent of its enzymatic action, does indeed trigger calcium entry into neurons. It is possible that A...

Application of chemotherapy in cancerous children leads to reduction of immune system efficiency. Therefore, these children are prone to various infectious diseases. The excessive use of antibiotics can bring about antibiotic resistant strains. Hence, it is essential to investigate new therapies for this problem. On the other hand, the emergence of resistance against multiple drugs is a major p...

The defining features of Alzheimer disease (AD) include conspicuous changes in both brain histology and behavior. The AD brain is characterized microscopically by the combined presence of 2 classes of abnormal structures, extracellular amyloid plaques and intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles, both of which comprise highly insoluble, densely packed filaments. The soluble building blocks of thes...

Tick defensins may serve as templates for the development of multifunctional peptides. The purpose of this study was to evaluate shorter peptides derived from tick defensin isoform 2 (OsDef2) in terms of their antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities. We compared the structural and functional properties of a synthetic peptide derived from the carboxy-terminal of the parent peptide (...

We report the development of a high-level bacterial expression system for the Alzheimer's disease-associated amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta), together with a scaleable and inexpensive purification procedure. Abeta(1-40) and Abeta(1-42) coding sequences together with added ATG codons were cloned directly into a Pet vector to facilitate production of Met-Abeta(1-40) and Met-Abeta(1-42), referred to ...

The level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin family, is down regulated in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), depression, stress, and anxiety; conversely the level of this neurotrophin is increased in autism spectrum disorders. Thus, modulating the level of BDNF can be a potential therapeutic approach for nervous system pathologies. In the ...