The development of periodontal disease and dental caries is influenced by several factors, such as microorganisms of bacterial biofilm or commensal bacteria in the mouth. These microorganisms trigger inflammatory and immune responses in the host. Currently, medicinal plants are treatment options for these oral diseases.Mammea americanaextracts have reported antimicrobial effects against several microorganisms. Nevertheless, this effect is unknown against oral bacteria. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effect ofM. americanaextract againstPorphyromonas gingivalisandStreptococcus mutans. For this, an experimental study was conducted. Ethanolic extract was obtained from seeds ofM. americana(one oil phase and one ethanolic phase). The strains ofPorphyromonas gingivalisATCC 33277 andStreptococcus mutansATCC 25175 were exposed to this extract to evaluate its antibacterial effect. Antibacterial activity was observed with the two phases ofM. americanaextract onP. gingivalisandS. mutanswith lower MICs (minimum inhibitory concentration). Also, bactericidal and bacteriostatic activity was detected againstS. mutans, depending on the concentration of the extract, while onM. americanaextract presented only bacteriostatic activity againstP. gingivalis. These findings provide important and promising information allowing for further exploration in the future.

Resveratrol (RSV) is a bioactive natural molecule that induces antioxidant activity and increases protection against oxidative damage. RSV could be used to mitigate damages associated to metabolic diseases and aging. Particularly, RSV regulates different aspects of mitochondrial metabolism. However, no information is available about the effects of RSV on Coenzyme Q (CoQ), a central component in the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Here, we report for the first time that RSV modulates COQ genes and parameters associated to metabolic syndrome in mice. Mice fed with high fat diet (HFD) presented a higher weight gain, triglycerides (TGs) and cholesterol levels while RSV reverted TGs to control level but not weight or cholesterol. HFD induced a decrease of COQs gene mRNA level, whereas RSV reversed this decrease in most of the COQs genes. However, RSV did not show effect on CoQ₉, CoQ₁₀ and total CoQ levels, neither in CoQ-dependent antioxidant enzymes. HFD influenced mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy markers. RSV modulated the levels of PINK1 and PARKIN and their ratio, indicating modulation of mitophagy. In summary, we report that RSV influences some of the metabolic adaptations of HFD affecting mitochondrial physiology while also regulates COQs gene expression levels in a process that can be associated with mitochondrial dynamics and turnover.

Tropomyosin (TM) is a pan-allergen with cross-reactivity to arthropods, insects, and nematodes in tropical regions. While IgE epitopes of TM contribute to sensitization, T-cell (MHC-II) epitopes polarize the Th2 immune response. This study aimed to identify linear B and T consensus epitopes among house dust mites, cockroaches, Ascaris lumbricoides, shrimp, and mosquitoes, exploring the molecular basis of cross-reactivity in allergic diseases. Amino acid sequences of Der p 10, Der f 10, Blo t 10, Lit v 1, Pen a 1, Pen m 1, rAsc l 3, Per a 7, Bla g 7, and Aed a 10 were collected from Allergen Nomenclature and UniProt. B epitopes were predicted using AlgPred 2.0 and BepiPred 3.0. T epitopes were predicted with NetMHCIIpan 4.1 against 10 HLA-II alleles. Consensus epitopes were obtained through analysis and Epitope Cluster Analysis in the Immune Epitope Database. We found 7 B-cell epitopes and 28 linear T-cell epitopes binding to MHC II. A unique peptide (residues 160–174) exhibited overlap between linear B-cell and T-cell epitopes, highly conserved across tropomyosin sequences. These findings shed light on IgE cross-reactivity among the tested species. The described immuno-informatics pipeline and epitopes can inform in vitro research and guide synthetic multi-epitope proteins’ design for potential allergology immunotherapies. Further in silico studies are warranted to confirm epitope accuracy and guide future experimental protocols.

Introduction: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is an inflammatory skin disease related to poor quality of life. Previous studies have found that vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D recep-tor (VDR) TaqI, BsmI, FokI, and ApaI gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influence immune response and susceptibility to skin disorders. Aim: To explore the role of VDR SNPs, and the association of vitamin D serum levels in a sample of Colombian Caribbean CSU patients. Methods: It is a case-control study. A group of CSU patients (n = 100) was compared with healthy individuals as a control group (n = 100). VDR polymorphisms were genotyped by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Taqman® probes. Allelic, genotypic, and haplotype associations were estimated. Serum vitamin D levels were measured using enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay. Results: Compared to the control group, the presence of G allele in TaqI and A allele in FokI SNPs of VDR gene was found to be a risk factor for CSU (odds ratio (OR) estimated using logistic regression adjusted by gender: 2.08 and 1.61, respectively, all P values < 0.05). The individuals who carry GCCA haplotype showed decrease in vitamin D levels (11.34 ng/mL; P = 0.002) with the G allele of TaqI and A allele of FokI gene SNPs. Conclusion: We reported for the first time the association of TaqI [rs731236] and FokI [rs2228570] VDR gene SNPs showing as a risk factor for CSU in a sample of multiethnic patients from the Colombian Caribbean population.

Introducción. La obesidad se considera un grave problema de salud pública y por ello se hacen esfuerzos en la búsqueda de genes como el LEP, el LEPR y el MC4R del sistema leptina-melanocortina, el cual opera en la regulación neuroendocrina de la ingestión y el equilibrio energético e influye en la patogenia de la enfermedad. Los resultados contradictorios en torno a la asociación de estos genes con la obesidad plantean la necesidad de nuevas investigaciones.Objetivo. Analizar los polimorfismos rs2167270 del gen LEP, rs1137101 del gen LEPR y rs17782313 del gen MC4R asociados con la obesidad y sus variables clínicas y bioquímicas en una muestra de pacientes adultos de Barranquilla.Materiales y métodos. Se estudiaron 111 personas obesas y 155 no obesas como controles. Los polimorfismos se determinaron mediante reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) en tiempo real. Se tomaron las medidas antropométricas, se evaluó la presión arterial y se hicieron pruebas bioquímicas.Resultados. No se encontraron diferencias estadísticas en la frecuencia alélica y genotípica de los polimorfismos en los grupos estudiados. En cuanto a las variables clínicas y bioquímicas, el genotipo CC del polimorfismo rs17782313 del gen MC4R, se asoció con un aumento de la presión arterial sistólica y, el alelo T y su genotipo homocigoto, con una disminución del colesterol HDL en los obesos. No se evidenció ningún efecto de los otros polimorfismos en estas variables.Conclusiones. Los polimorfismos rs2167270 del gen LEP, rs1137101 del gen LEPR y rs17782313 del gen MC4R, no se asociaron con obesidad en la población analizada. Se encontró que el polimorfismo rs17782313 del gen MC4R influyó en el aumento de la presión arterial sistólica y la disminución del colesterol HDL en las personas obesas.

LuxS is an important protein involved in the synthesis of Autoinducer 2, the signaling molecule in the quorum sensing system for the communication of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, the LuxS protein is a potential target for inhibiting the production of biological phenomena in pathogenic bacteria that could control several diseases such as periodontal disease and caries among others. A comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) study was conducted with 20 analogues of ribosylhomocysteine (RHC) and KRI, which are native ligands of the LuxS protein. Due to the change of the oxygen atom in position 7 in the proposed inhibitor INH-KRI 02 for the sulfur atom and the stereochemistry of the carbon in position 4, there was a possible variation of the hydrophobic, hydrogen bond donor and acceptor fields, which were observed as predominant over the steric and electrostatic fields in the obtained dockings. The presence of a sulfur atom can be fundamental in the inhibition of the LuxS protein. This increase seems to improve the lipophilicity due to changes of atoms in several positions, indicating an improvement in the predicted activity of the ligands compared with other previously described ligands.