Search Results (3)

Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP), an atypical mycobacterium originally developed as an anti-leprosy vaccine, has emerged as a potent immunomodulator with diverse therapeutic applications. Despite its clinical significance, molecular mechanisms underlying MIP’s immunomodulatory properties remain largely unexplored. Bacterial phosphatases are recognized as crucial virulence factors that enable pathogens to evade host defenses by modulating host immune signaling pathways, including phosphoinositide metabolism. MIP_07528 was identified as a putative protein tyrosine phosphatase B (PtpB) ortholog through in silico analysis, with significant sequence conservation observed within catalytic domains of pathogenic mycobacterial PtpB proteins. Phosphatase activity was detected in both cell lysate and culture filtrate fractions, revealing differential expression patterns between MIP and M. tuberculosis. Upregulation of MIP_07528 was demonstrated under oxidative stress, suggesting involvement in stress adaptation. The recombinant protein exhibited distinctive kinetic properties, characterized by higher substrate affinity yet increased susceptibility to oxidative inactivation compared to its M. tuberculosis counterpart. In macrophages, MIP_07528 suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines while enhancing anti-inflammatory IL-10 production. These findings establish MIP_07528 as a functional phosphatase that may contribute to MIP’s immunomodulatory properties. This work advances understanding of phosphatase function in non-pathogenic mycobacteria while providing insights into virulence factor evolution and establishing a foundation for novel antimicrobial strategies. Full article

Cancer development and progression are extremely complex due to the alteration of various genes and pathways. In most cases, multiple agents are required to control cancer progression. The purpose of this study is to investigate, using a mouse model, the synergistic interactions of anti-cancer agents, 1′-S-1′-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA), Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP), and cisplatin (CDDP) in double and triple combinations to treat chemo-sensitize and immune-sensitize breast cancer. Changes in tumor volume and body weight were monitored. Organs were harvested and stained using hematoxylin–eosin for histopathological assessment. Milliplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to determine cytokine levels, while immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted on tumor biopsies to verify systemic drug effects. In vivo mouse models showed tumor regression with maintenance of regular body weight for all the different treatment regimens. IHC results provided conclusive evidence indicating that combination regimens were able to down-regulate nuclear factor kappa-B activation and reduce the expression of its regulated pro-inflammatory proteins. Reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-ɣ) levels were observed when using the triple combination, which indicated that the synergistic drug combination was able to significantly control cancer progression. In conclusion, ACA, MIP, and CDDP together serve as promising candidates for further development and for subsequent clinical trials against estrogen-sensitive breast cancer. Full article

Chitosan (CS, molecular weight 20.2 kDa, degree of deacylation (DD) 73.31%) was successfully obtained by deacetylation of chitin extracted from shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) shell wastes. The encapsulation of the bioactive natural product, panchovillin (PANV), isolated from Erythrina schliebenii, on a chitosan-tripolyphosphate (CS/TPP) nano-framework was achieved by ionotropic gelation. Characterization of pure CS, CS/TPP and PANV-CS/TPP nanocomposites was performed by FTIR, SEM and XRD. The molecular weight of chitosan and the thermal stability of the materials were determined by MALDI-TOF-MS and simultaneous thermal analyzer (STA)/DTG, respectively. The respective encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of the PANV were found to be 70% and 0.36%. The in vitro release studies showed an initial burst of 42% of PANV in the first six hours. This was followed by a slow and sustained release up to 72 h. The in vivo antimycobacterial activities of both PANV and PANV-CS/TPP nanocomposite against Mycobacterium indicus pranii (MIP) using Galleria mellonella larvae as an in vivo infection model are reported in this paper. Full article