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Khazaei S, Varela-Calviño R, Rad-Malekshahi M, Quattrini F, Jokar S, Rezaei N, Balalaie S, Haririan I, Csaba N, Garcia-Fuentes M. Self-assembled peptide/polymer hybrid nanoplatform for cancer immunostimulating therapies. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2024; 14:455-473. [PMID: 37721693 PMCID: PMC10761384 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-023-01410-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Integrating peptide epitopes in self-assembling materials is a successful strategy to obtain nanovaccines with high antigen density and improved efficacy. In this study, self-assembling peptides containing MAGE-A3/PADRE epitopes were designed to generate functional therapeutic nanovaccines. To achieve higher stability, peptide/polymer hybrid nanoparticles were formulated by controlled self-assembly of the engineered peptides. The nanoparticles showed good biocompatibility to both human red blood- and dendritic cells. Incubation of the nanoparticles with immature dendritic cells triggered immune effects that ultimately activated CD8 + cells. The antigen-specific and IgG antibody responses of healthy C57BL/6 mice vaccinated with the nanoparticles were analyzed. The in vivo results indicate a specific response to the nanovaccines, mainly mediated through a cellular pathway. This research indicates that the immunogenicity of peptide epitope vaccines can be effectively enhanced by developing self-assembled peptide-polymer hybrid nanostructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeedeh Khazaei
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biomaterials and Medical Biomaterials Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, CiMUS Research Center and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Ruben Varela-Calviño
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Mazda Rad-Malekshahi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biomaterials and Medical Biomaterials Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Federico Quattrini
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, CiMUS Research Center and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Safura Jokar
- Department of Nuclear Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saeed Balalaie
- Peptide Chemistry Research Center, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ismaeil Haririan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biomaterials and Medical Biomaterials Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Noemi Csaba
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, CiMUS Research Center and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Marcos Garcia-Fuentes
- Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, CiMUS Research Center and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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Stachurski O, Neubauer D, Walewska A, Iłowska E, Bauer M, Bartoszewska S, Sikora K, Hać A, Wyrzykowski D, Prahl A, Kamysz W, Sikorska E. Understanding the Role of Self-Assembly and Interaction with Biological Membranes of Short Cationic Lipopeptides in the Effective Design of New Antibiotics. Antibiotics (Basel) 2022; 11:1491. [PMID: 36358146 PMCID: PMC9686977 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics11111491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigates short cationic antimicrobial lipopeptides composed of 2-4 amino acid residues and C12-C18 fatty acids attached to the N-terminal part of the peptides. The findings were discussed in the context of the relationship among biological activity, self-assembly, stability, and membrane interactions. All the lipopeptides showed the ability to self-assemble in PBS solution. In most cases, the critical aggregation concentration (CAC) much surpassed the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, suggesting that monomers are the main active form of lipopeptides. The introduction of β-alanine into the peptide sequence resulted in a compound with a high propensity to fibrillate, which increased the peptide stability and activity against S. epidermidis and C. albicans and reduced the cytotoxicity against human keratinocytes. The results of our study indicated that the target of action of lipopeptides is the bacterial membrane. Interestingly, the type of peptide counterion may affect the degree of penetration of the lipid bilayer. In addition, the binding of the lipopeptide to the membrane of Gram-negative bacteria may lead to the release of calcium ions necessary for stabilization of the lipopolysaccharide layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oktawian Stachurski
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Damian Neubauer
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Walewska
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Emilia Iłowska
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Marta Bauer
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Sylwia Bartoszewska
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Karol Sikora
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Hać
- Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Dariusz Wyrzykowski
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Adam Prahl
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Wojciech Kamysz
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medicinal University of Gdansk, Al. Gen. J. Hallera 107, 80-416 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Emilia Sikorska
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland
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Preclinical evaluation of the maximum tolerated dose and toxicokinetics of enteric-coated lantibiotic OG253 capsules. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2019; 374:32-40. [PMID: 31034929 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2019.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD) is the leading infectious cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and colitis in the United States. Both the incidence and severity of CDAD have been increased over the past two decades. We evaluated the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and toxicokinetics of OG253, a novel lantibiotic in development for the treatment of CDAD. OG253 was orally administered to Wistar Han rats as enteric-coated capsules in a one-day dose escalation study, followed by a seven-day repeated dose toxicokinetics study. All three doses of OG253 (6.75, 27 and 108 mg/day) were generally well-tolerated with no treatment-related clinical signs, alterations in body weight or food consumption in both one-day acute tolerability and seven-days repeated dose tolerability and toxicokinetics study. OG253 capsule administration neither significantly alter the weight of organs nor affect the hematology, coagulation, clinical biochemistry parameters and urine pH compared to placebo capsule administered rats. LC-MS/MS analysis did not detect OG253 in the plasma, indicating that OG253 is not absorbed into the blood from the rat gastrointestinal tract. Glandular atrophy of the rectal mucosa was noticed in two out of six rats administered with a high dose of OG253. Surprisingly, we found that OG253 treatment significantly lowered both serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in both sexes of rats. Overall, there was a 29.8 and 61.38% decrease in the serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, respectively as compared to placebo-treated rats. The well-tolerated high dose of OG253 (425.7 mg/kg/day) is recommended as the MTD for safety and efficacy studies. Further preclinical study is needed to evaluate the safety profile of OG253 under longer exposure.
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Pharmacological, Toxicological, and Dose Range Assessment of OG716, a Novel Lantibiotic for the Treatment of Clostridium difficile-Associated Infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019; 63:AAC.01904-18. [PMID: 30670434 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01904-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Lantibiotics present an attractive scaffold for the development of novel antibiotics. We report here a novel lantibiotic for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infection. The lead compounds were selected from a library of over 700 single- and multiple-substitution variants of the lantibiotic mutacin 1140 (MU1140). The best performers in vitro and in vivo were further used to challenge Golden Syrian hamsters orally in a Golden Syrian hamster model of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) in a dose-response format, resulting in the selection of OG716 as the lead compound. This lantibiotic was characterized by a 50% effective dose of 23.85 mg/kg of body weight/day (10.97 μmol/kg/day) in this model. Upon oral administration of the maximum feasible dose (≥1,918 mg/kg/day), no observable toxicities or side effects were noted, and no effect on intestinal motility was observed. Compartmentalization to the gastrointestinal tract was confirmed. MU1140-derived variants offer a large pipeline for the development of novel antibiotics for the treatment of several indications and are particularly attractive considering their novel mechanism of action. Based on the currently available data, OG716 has an acceptable profile for further development for the treatment of CDAD.
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Comparative analysis of internalisation, haemolytic, cytotoxic and antibacterial effect of membrane-active cationic peptides: aspects of experimental setup. Amino Acids 2017; 49:1053-1067. [PMID: 28314993 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-017-2402-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cationic peptides proved fundamental importance as pharmaceutical agents and/or drug carrier moieties functioning in cellular processes. The comparison of the in vitro activity of these peptides is an experimental challenge and a combination of different methods, such as cytotoxicity, internalisation rate, haemolytic and antibacterial effect, is necessary. At the same time, several issues need to be addressed as the assay conditions have a great influence on the measured biological effects and the experimental setup needs to be optimised. Therefore, critical comparison of results from different assays using representative examples of cell penetrating and antimicrobial peptides was performed and optimal test conditions were suggested. Our main goal was to identify carrier peptides for drug delivery systems of antimicrobial drug candidates. Based on the results of internalisation, haemolytic, cytotoxic and antibacterial activity assays, a classification of cationic peptides is advocated. We found eight promising carrier peptides with good penetration ability of which Penetratin, Tat, Buforin and Dhvar4 peptides showed low adverse haemolytic effect. Penetratin, Transportan, Dhvar4 and the hybrid CM15 peptide had the most potent antibacterial activity on Streptococcus pneumoniae (MIC lower than 1.2 μM) and Transportan was effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis as well. The most selective peptide was the Penetratin, where the effective antimicrobial concentration on pneumococcus was more than 250 times lower than the HC50 value. Therefore, these peptides and their analogues will be further investigated as drug delivery systems for antimicrobial agents.
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Wald M, Schwarz K, Rehbein H, Bußmann B, Beermann C. Detection of antibacterial activity of an enzymatic hydrolysate generated by processing rainbow trout by-products with trout pepsin. Food Chem 2016; 205:221-8. [PMID: 27006234 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Revised: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Trout by-product hydrolysates, generated using trout pepsin, were characterized and studied in terms of their antibacterial effects against food contaminants and fish farming pathogens. After a hydrolysis time of 25 min, the hydrolysates demonstrated inhibitory activity against several gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The degree of hydrolysis (DH) was found to exert a considerable influence on antibacterial activity, with a significant increase in the observed inhibitory effect at the beginning of hydrolysis. The highest antibacterial activity was obtained at a DH of 30% (enzyme/protein ratio 0.04 U/mg of protein, enzyme activity 6.5 U/mg protein, hydrolysis conditions 37°C, pH 3.0). The highest antibacterial activity detected was against the fish farming bacteria Flavobacterium psychrophilum and Renibacterium salmoninarum, with minimal inhibition concentrations of 2mg/ml and 5mg/ml, respectively. The amino acid determination of the hydrolysate (DH 30%) revealed that lysine, leucine, alanine, arginine, glycine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid residues represented the major amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maleen Wald
- University of Kiel, Department of Food Technology, Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Heinrich-Hecht Platz 10, 24118 Kiel, Germany; Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Food Technology, Leipziger Straße 123, 36037 Fulda, Germany.
| | - Karin Schwarz
- University of Kiel, Department of Food Technology, Institute of Human Nutrition and Food Science, Heinrich-Hecht Platz 10, 24118 Kiel, Germany.
| | - Hartmut Rehbein
- Max Rubner-Institute, Department of Safety and Quality of Milk and Fish, Palmaille 9, 22767 Hamburg, Germany(1).
| | - Bettina Bußmann
- Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Food Technology, Leipziger Straße 123, 36037 Fulda, Germany.
| | - Christopher Beermann
- Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Food Technology, Leipziger Straße 123, 36037 Fulda, Germany.
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Preston GW, Phillips DH. Quantification of a peptide standard using the intrinsic fluorescence of tyrosine. Anal Bioanal Chem 2016; 408:2187-93. [PMID: 26879647 PMCID: PMC4799795 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-016-9334-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Revised: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 01/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Absolute quantification of peptides is typically achieved using amino acid analysis, elemental analysis or derivatisation chemistry. Impurities, if present, may be accounted for using analytical high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with detection of the peptide bond ultraviolet (UV) absorbance. To do this, peak areas from a UV chromatogram are used to estimate percentage purity on a mass basis, and this purity value is used as a correction. However, because the approach assumes that UV absorbance is uniformly proportional to mass, the result may be only semi-quantitative. Here, an alternative approach involving HPLC with detection of intrinsic tyrosine fluorescence is described. The fluorescence properties of a 21-residue synthetic peptide corresponding to an S-carbamidomethylated tryptic fragment of human serum albumin were characterised, and a method involving quantification relative to a non-peptidic calibrant, N-acetyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester, was established. The method was used to quantify the thiol form of the peptide, and the results were compared with a parallel analysis involving derivatisation of the same material with Ellman's reagent. When differences in fluorescence response (analyte versus calibrant) were accounted for, the measurements obtained via the two methods were in good agreement. Contributions from peptidic impurities were also considered, and their influence on the validity of the conclusions was evaluated. Despite some ambiguities introduced by the impurities, and the identification of some other potential sources of error, the results demonstrate that use of Tyr fluorescence is a promising solution to the challenging problem of absolute peptide quantification.
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Affiliation(s)
- George W Preston
- Analytical & Environmental Sciences Division, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK
| | - David H Phillips
- Analytical & Environmental Sciences Division, MRC-PHE Centre for Environment & Health, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, UK.
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Kutina AV, Marina AS, Eliseev II, Titov MI, Natochin YV. Synthesis of new vasotocin analogues: effects on renal water and ion excretion in rats. J Pept Sci 2013; 19:268-76. [DOI: 10.1002/psc.2495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2012] [Revised: 01/22/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna V. Kutina
- Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry; Russian Academy of Sciences; 194223; Saint-Petersburg; 44 Thorez Pr.; Russia
| | - Anna S. Marina
- Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry; Russian Academy of Sciences; 194223; Saint-Petersburg; 44 Thorez Pr.; Russia
| | - Ivan I. Eliseev
- Chemical Faculty; Saint-Petersburg State University; 198504; Saint-Petersburg; Petrodvorets, 26 Universitetsky Pr.; Russia
| | - Mikhail I. Titov
- Chemical Faculty; Saint-Petersburg State University; 198504; Saint-Petersburg; Petrodvorets, 26 Universitetsky Pr.; Russia
| | - Yuri V. Natochin
- Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry; Russian Academy of Sciences; 194223; Saint-Petersburg; 44 Thorez Pr.; Russia
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Sauder R, Seelig J, Ziegler A. Thermodynamics of lipid interactions with cell-penetrating peptides. Methods Mol Biol 2011; 683:129-155. [PMID: 21053127 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60761-919-2_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Cationic peptides are efficiently taken up by biological cells through different pathways, which can be exploited for delivery of intracellular drugs. For example, their endocytosis is known since 1967, and this typically produces entrapment of the peptides in endocytotic vesicles. The resulting peptide (and cargo) degradation in lysosomes is of little therapeutic interest. Beside endocytosis (and various subtypes thereof), cationic cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) may also gain access to cytosol and nucleus of livings cells. This process is known since 1988, but it is poorly understood whether the cytosolic CPP appearance requires an active cellular machinery with membrane proteins and signaling molecules, or whether this translocation occurs by passive diffusion and thus can be mimicked with model membranes devoid of proteins or glycans. In the present chapter, protocols are presented that allow for testing the membrane binding and disturbance of CPPs on model membranes with special focus on particular CPP properties. Protocols include vesicle preparation, lipid quantification, and analysis of membrane leakage, lipid polymorphism ((31)P NMR), and membrane binding (isothermal titration calorimetry). Using these protocols, a major difference among CPPs is observed: At low micromolar concentration, nonamphipathic CPPs, such as nona-arginine (WR(9)) and penetratin, have only a poor affinity for model membranes with a lipid composition typical of eukaryotic membranes. No membrane leakage is induced by these compounds at low micromolar concentration. In contrast, their amphipathic derivatives, such as acylated WR(9) (C(14), C(16), C(18)) or amphipathic penetratin mutant p2AL (Drin et al., Biochemistry 40:1824-1834, 2001), bind and disturb lipid model membranes already at low micromolar peptide concentration. This suggests that the mechanism for cytosolic CPP delivery (and potential toxicity) differs among CPPs despite their common name.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reto Sauder
- Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Biozentrum of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Klimentzou P, Beck A, Varvarigou A, Tsitsilonis O, Voelter W, Pirmettis I, Papadopoulos M, Livaniou E, Zikos C. Solid-phase Synthesis of a Peptide Derivative of Thymosin alpha1 and Initial Studies on its99mTc-Radiolabelling. Chem Biol Drug Des 2007; 70:40-6. [PMID: 17630993 DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-0285.2007.00529.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
A derivative (1) of the immunopotentiating 28-peptide thymosin alpha1 has been especially designed, so that it can be (99m)Tc-radiolabelled, and synthesized following the Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis approach. Derivative 1 contains the N-terminal fragment Talpha1[1-14] as a bioactive segment, at the C-terminus of which a (99m)Tc-chelating moiety consisting of N(alpha),N(alpha)-dimethylglycine, serine and cysteine is linked through the N(epsilon)-amino group of a 'bifunctional' lysine residue; the latter is indirectly anchored on the solid-phase peptide synthesis resin through 6-aminocaproic acid (dmGSCK{N(epsilon)-Talpha1[1-14]}Aca). Synthetic derivative 1 was obtained at high overall yield (approximately 35%) and purity (>95%) and shown to be efficiently radiolabelled with (99m)Tc, thus resulting in the first, to our knowledge, so far reported (99m)Tc-radiolabelled derivative of thymosin alpha1, which may be eventually used as a specific molecular tool for the in vitro/in vivo study of the mode of action of the parent bioactive peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Persefoni Klimentzou
- National Centre for Scientific Research 'Demokritos', Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, Athens 15310, Greece
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