Influence of Immobilization Strategies on the Antibacterial Properties of Antimicrobial Peptide-Chitosan Coatings

It is key to fight bacterial adhesion to prevent biofilm establishment on biomaterials. Surface immobilization of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) is a promising strategy to avoid bacterial colonization. This work aimed to investigate whether the direct surface immobilization of Dhvar5, an AMP with head-to-tail amphipathicity, would improve the antimicrobial activity of chitosan ultrathin coatings. The peptide was grafted by copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) chemistry by ei...

Enhancement of hMSC In Vitro Proliferation by Surface Immobilization of a Heparin-Binding Peptide

The use of human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSC) as therapeutic agents for advanced clinical therapies relies on their in vitro expansion. Over the last years, several efforts have been made to optimize hMSC culture protocols, namely by mimicking the cell physiological microenvironment, which strongly relies on signals provided by the extracellular matrix (ECM). ECM glycosaminoglycans, such as heparan-sulfate, sequester adhesive proteins and soluble growth factors at the cell membrane, orchestr...

Angiogenesis in the Normal Adrenal Fetal Cortex and Adrenocortical Tumors

Simple Summary Pharmacological angiogenesis modulation was robustly demonstrated to be a powerful clinical resource in oncotherapy. Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) often have a poor prognosis for which therapeutic options are limited. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate adrenocortical angiogenesis both under physiological conditions and in ACC could provide important clues on how these processes could be modulated for clinical purposes. This report summarizes the current knowledge on a...

The Emergent Power of Human Cellular vs Mouse Models in Translational Hair Research

Different animal models have been used for hair research and regeneration studies based on the similarities between animal and human skins. Primary knowledge on hair follicle (HF) biology has arisen from research using mouse models baring spontaneous or genetically engineered mutations. These studies have been crucial for the discovery of genes underlying human hair cycle control and hair loss disorders. Yet, researchers have become increasingly aware that there are distinct architectural and...