Recently, we identified 2-styrylchromones as a new class of antirhinovirus flavonoids with modera... more Recently, we identified 2-styrylchromones as a new class of antirhinovirus flavonoids with moderate activity against both rhinovirus groups A and B. In order to improve the antiviral effect of the first series of tested 2-styrylchromones, a hydroxy or methoxy group was introduced in position 3 of the chromone ring. Cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of the new synthesized compounds were evaluated in HeLa cell cultures infected with rhinoviruses 1B and 14, selected as representative serotypes for viral groups B and A of human rhinoviruses (HRVs), respectively. These antiviral results compared to those obtained for 3-unsubstituted 2-styrylchromones indicate the greater potency of 3-hydroxy and 3-methoxy derivatives against both serotypes.
Goose erythrocyte membranes were isolated and tested for their ability to compete with red cell r... more Goose erythrocyte membranes were isolated and tested for their ability to compete with red cell receptors for vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) attachment and fusion at acidic pH. Crude membranes, solubilized with Triton X-100, Tween 80 and octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on virus binding and haemolysis. The chemical nature of the active molecules was investigated by enzyme digestion and by separation of purified components. Only the lipid moiety, specifically phospholipid and glycolipid, was found to inhibit VSV attachment; a more detailed analysis of these molecules showed that phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine and GM3 ganglioside were responsible for the inhibitory activity and could therefore represent VSV binding sites on goose erythrocyte membranes. Removal of negatively charged groups from these molecules by enzymic treatment significantly reduced their activity, suggesting that electrostatic interactions play an important role in the binding of VSV to the cell surface. Enzymic digestion of whole erythrocytes confirmed the involvement of membrane lipid molecules in the cell surface receptor for VSV.
The aim of this study was to assess fecal microbiota and metabolome in a population with symptoma... more The aim of this study was to assess fecal microbiota and metabolome in a population with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD). Whether intestinal microbiota and metabolic profiling may be altered in patients with SUDD is unknown. Stool samples from 44 consecutive women [15 patients with SUDD, 13 with asymptomatic diverticulosis (AD), and 16 healthy controls (HCs)] were analyzed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify targeted microorganisms. High-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy associated with multivariate analysis with partial least-square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was applied on the metabolite data set. The overall bacterial quantity did not differ among the 3 groups (P=0.449), with no difference in Bacteroides/Prevotella, Clostridium coccoides, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Escherichia coli subgroups. The amount of Akkermansia muciniphila species was significantly different between HC, AD, and SUDD subjects (...
Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy caused by an intolerance to gluten proteins. It ... more Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy caused by an intolerance to gluten proteins. It has been hypothesized that probiotic bacteria may exert beneficial effects by modulating inflammatory processes and by sustaining peptide hydrolysis at the intestinal level. This study aims at evaluating the capacity of a probiotic mixture (two different strains of lactobacilli and three of bifidobacteria) to hydrolyze gluten peptides following simulated gastrointestinal digestion of gliadin (PT-gliadin). The capacity of bacterial hydrolysates to counteract the toxic effects of gliadin-derived peptides in Caco-2 cells was also assessed. The protein and peptide mixtures, untreated or proteolyzed with the probiotic preparation, were analyzed before and after each proteolytic step with different techniques (SDS-PAGE, reverse phase HPLC, filtration on different molecular cut-off membranes). These experiments demonstrated that PT-gliadin can be further digested by bacteria into lower molecula...
Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society, 2009
The protective effect of selected vaginal Lactobacillus strains (L. brevis CD2, L. salivarius FV2... more The protective effect of selected vaginal Lactobacillus strains (L. brevis CD2, L. salivarius FV2, L. plantarum FV9) towards herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in vitro has been analyzed. Living bacterial cells affect different steps of virus multiplication. The effect on the early phases of virus infection appeared related to the bacterial adhesive potential to the cell membrane while all the strains strongly reduced intracellular events of virus multiplication. The anti HSV-2 activity was not mediated by a virucidal effect. Instead it was exerted through bacterial soluble factors able to down regulate the production of infective virions. In fact HSV-2 yield was significantly reduced in infected cells fed with cell-free supernatants of lactobacilli grown in cell culture medium. Purified lactic acid and H(2)O(2), Lactobacillus metabolites with known antimicrobial activity, produced a dose-dependent virucidal effect. Lactic acid successfully interfered with viral intracell...
Probiotics are living microorganisms that confer a health benefit when administered in adequate a... more Probiotics are living microorganisms that confer a health benefit when administered in adequate amounts. It has been speculated that probiotics supplementation during pregnancy and in the neonatal period might reduce some maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. In this narrative review, we describe the rationale behind probiotic supplementation and its possible role in preventing preterm delivery, perinatal infections, functional gastrointestinal diseases, and atopic disorders during early life.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
The human vaginal microbiota plays an important role in the maintenance of a woman's health, ... more The human vaginal microbiota plays an important role in the maintenance of a woman's health, as well as of her partner's and newborns'. When this predominantly Lactobacillus community is disrupted, decreased in abundance and replaced by different anaerobes, bacterial vaginosis (BV) may occur. BV is associated with ascending infections and obstetrical complications, such as chorioamnionitis and preterm delivery, as well as with urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections. In BV the overgrowth of anaerobes produces noxious substances like polyamines and other compounds that trigger the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1 β and IL-8. BV can profoundly affect, with different mechanisms, all the phases of a woman's life in relation to reproduction, before pregnancy, during fertilization, through and at the end of pregnancy. BV can directly affect fertility, since an ascending dissemination of the involved species may lead to tubal fac...
Variability in probiotics manufacturing may affect their properties, with potential implications ... more Variability in probiotics manufacturing may affect their properties, with potential implications for their efficacy and safety. This is of particular concern with probiotic products destined for use in patients with serious medical conditions, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The purpose of the study was to carry out a series of experiments comparing the properties of the US-made probiotic formulation originally commercialized under the brand name VSL#3(®), with those of the Italian-made formulation now commercialized under the same name. The US-made formulation has previously shown beneficial effects at the intestinal and neurological levels in HIV-infected subjects as well as in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and hepatic encephalopathy. Eleven subjects receiving combined antiretroviral therapy for HIV-1 were treated for 6 months with the US-made VSL#3 formulation. At baseline and 6 months, T-cells were analyzed for phenotype and activation markers...
Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are recognized as the major etiologic agents for the common cold. Starti... more Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are recognized as the major etiologic agents for the common cold. Starting from the observation that local hyperthermic treatment is beneficial in patients with natural and experimental common colds, we have studied the effect of brief hyperthermic treatment (HT) on HRV replication in HeLa cells. We report that a 20-min HT at 45 degrees C is effective in suppressing HRV multiplication by more than 90% when applied at specific stages of the virus replication cycle. Synthesis of virus proteins is not affected by HT, indicating that the target for treatment is a posttranslational event. The antiviral effect is a transient cell-mediated event and is associated with the synthesis of the 70-kDa heat shock protein hsp70. Unlike poliovirus, rhinovirus infection does not inhibit the expression of hsp70 induced by heat. The possibility that hsp70 could play a role in the control of rhinovirus replication is suggested by the fact that a different class of HSP inducers,...
A study has been made to clarify the importance of some carbohydrate components of goose red bloo... more A study has been made to clarify the importance of some carbohydrate components of goose red blood cell and BHK 21 cell membrane receptors for vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). Experiments have been carried out by inducing enzymatic modifications on the surface of intact cells and following the interaction between VSV and treated cells. Results obtained indicate that the removal of mannose, galactose and fucose from cell membranes reduces the attachment of the virus to cell receptors.
Recently, we identified 2-styrylchromones as a new class of antirhinovirus flavonoids with modera... more Recently, we identified 2-styrylchromones as a new class of antirhinovirus flavonoids with moderate activity against both rhinovirus groups A and B. In order to improve the antiviral effect of the first series of tested 2-styrylchromones, a hydroxy or methoxy group was introduced in position 3 of the chromone ring. Cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of the new synthesized compounds were evaluated in HeLa cell cultures infected with rhinoviruses 1B and 14, selected as representative serotypes for viral groups B and A of human rhinoviruses (HRVs), respectively. These antiviral results compared to those obtained for 3-unsubstituted 2-styrylchromones indicate the greater potency of 3-hydroxy and 3-methoxy derivatives against both serotypes.
Goose erythrocyte membranes were isolated and tested for their ability to compete with red cell r... more Goose erythrocyte membranes were isolated and tested for their ability to compete with red cell receptors for vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) attachment and fusion at acidic pH. Crude membranes, solubilized with Triton X-100, Tween 80 and octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on virus binding and haemolysis. The chemical nature of the active molecules was investigated by enzyme digestion and by separation of purified components. Only the lipid moiety, specifically phospholipid and glycolipid, was found to inhibit VSV attachment; a more detailed analysis of these molecules showed that phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine and GM3 ganglioside were responsible for the inhibitory activity and could therefore represent VSV binding sites on goose erythrocyte membranes. Removal of negatively charged groups from these molecules by enzymic treatment significantly reduced their activity, suggesting that electrostatic interactions play an important role in the binding of VSV to the cell surface. Enzymic digestion of whole erythrocytes confirmed the involvement of membrane lipid molecules in the cell surface receptor for VSV.
The aim of this study was to assess fecal microbiota and metabolome in a population with symptoma... more The aim of this study was to assess fecal microbiota and metabolome in a population with symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease (SUDD). Whether intestinal microbiota and metabolic profiling may be altered in patients with SUDD is unknown. Stool samples from 44 consecutive women [15 patients with SUDD, 13 with asymptomatic diverticulosis (AD), and 16 healthy controls (HCs)] were analyzed. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify targeted microorganisms. High-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy associated with multivariate analysis with partial least-square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was applied on the metabolite data set. The overall bacterial quantity did not differ among the 3 groups (P=0.449), with no difference in Bacteroides/Prevotella, Clostridium coccoides, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Escherichia coli subgroups. The amount of Akkermansia muciniphila species was significantly different between HC, AD, and SUDD subjects (...
Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy caused by an intolerance to gluten proteins. It ... more Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune enteropathy caused by an intolerance to gluten proteins. It has been hypothesized that probiotic bacteria may exert beneficial effects by modulating inflammatory processes and by sustaining peptide hydrolysis at the intestinal level. This study aims at evaluating the capacity of a probiotic mixture (two different strains of lactobacilli and three of bifidobacteria) to hydrolyze gluten peptides following simulated gastrointestinal digestion of gliadin (PT-gliadin). The capacity of bacterial hydrolysates to counteract the toxic effects of gliadin-derived peptides in Caco-2 cells was also assessed. The protein and peptide mixtures, untreated or proteolyzed with the probiotic preparation, were analyzed before and after each proteolytic step with different techniques (SDS-PAGE, reverse phase HPLC, filtration on different molecular cut-off membranes). These experiments demonstrated that PT-gliadin can be further digested by bacteria into lower molecula...
Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society, 2009
The protective effect of selected vaginal Lactobacillus strains (L. brevis CD2, L. salivarius FV2... more The protective effect of selected vaginal Lactobacillus strains (L. brevis CD2, L. salivarius FV2, L. plantarum FV9) towards herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in vitro has been analyzed. Living bacterial cells affect different steps of virus multiplication. The effect on the early phases of virus infection appeared related to the bacterial adhesive potential to the cell membrane while all the strains strongly reduced intracellular events of virus multiplication. The anti HSV-2 activity was not mediated by a virucidal effect. Instead it was exerted through bacterial soluble factors able to down regulate the production of infective virions. In fact HSV-2 yield was significantly reduced in infected cells fed with cell-free supernatants of lactobacilli grown in cell culture medium. Purified lactic acid and H(2)O(2), Lactobacillus metabolites with known antimicrobial activity, produced a dose-dependent virucidal effect. Lactic acid successfully interfered with viral intracell...
Probiotics are living microorganisms that confer a health benefit when administered in adequate a... more Probiotics are living microorganisms that confer a health benefit when administered in adequate amounts. It has been speculated that probiotics supplementation during pregnancy and in the neonatal period might reduce some maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. In this narrative review, we describe the rationale behind probiotic supplementation and its possible role in preventing preterm delivery, perinatal infections, functional gastrointestinal diseases, and atopic disorders during early life.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
The human vaginal microbiota plays an important role in the maintenance of a woman's health, ... more The human vaginal microbiota plays an important role in the maintenance of a woman's health, as well as of her partner's and newborns'. When this predominantly Lactobacillus community is disrupted, decreased in abundance and replaced by different anaerobes, bacterial vaginosis (BV) may occur. BV is associated with ascending infections and obstetrical complications, such as chorioamnionitis and preterm delivery, as well as with urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted infections. In BV the overgrowth of anaerobes produces noxious substances like polyamines and other compounds that trigger the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1 β and IL-8. BV can profoundly affect, with different mechanisms, all the phases of a woman's life in relation to reproduction, before pregnancy, during fertilization, through and at the end of pregnancy. BV can directly affect fertility, since an ascending dissemination of the involved species may lead to tubal fac...
Variability in probiotics manufacturing may affect their properties, with potential implications ... more Variability in probiotics manufacturing may affect their properties, with potential implications for their efficacy and safety. This is of particular concern with probiotic products destined for use in patients with serious medical conditions, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The purpose of the study was to carry out a series of experiments comparing the properties of the US-made probiotic formulation originally commercialized under the brand name VSL#3(®), with those of the Italian-made formulation now commercialized under the same name. The US-made formulation has previously shown beneficial effects at the intestinal and neurological levels in HIV-infected subjects as well as in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and hepatic encephalopathy. Eleven subjects receiving combined antiretroviral therapy for HIV-1 were treated for 6 months with the US-made VSL#3 formulation. At baseline and 6 months, T-cells were analyzed for phenotype and activation markers...
Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are recognized as the major etiologic agents for the common cold. Starti... more Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are recognized as the major etiologic agents for the common cold. Starting from the observation that local hyperthermic treatment is beneficial in patients with natural and experimental common colds, we have studied the effect of brief hyperthermic treatment (HT) on HRV replication in HeLa cells. We report that a 20-min HT at 45 degrees C is effective in suppressing HRV multiplication by more than 90% when applied at specific stages of the virus replication cycle. Synthesis of virus proteins is not affected by HT, indicating that the target for treatment is a posttranslational event. The antiviral effect is a transient cell-mediated event and is associated with the synthesis of the 70-kDa heat shock protein hsp70. Unlike poliovirus, rhinovirus infection does not inhibit the expression of hsp70 induced by heat. The possibility that hsp70 could play a role in the control of rhinovirus replication is suggested by the fact that a different class of HSP inducers,...
A study has been made to clarify the importance of some carbohydrate components of goose red bloo... more A study has been made to clarify the importance of some carbohydrate components of goose red blood cell and BHK 21 cell membrane receptors for vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). Experiments have been carried out by inducing enzymatic modifications on the surface of intact cells and following the interaction between VSV and treated cells. Results obtained indicate that the removal of mannose, galactose and fucose from cell membranes reduces the attachment of the virus to cell receptors.
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Papers by P. Mastromarino