Antimicrobial Peptides: Mechanisms of Action and Impact in Critical Care

• Grant number: 18/06124-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2018
• End date: December 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Fabiano Pinheiro da Silva
• Grantee: Fabiano Pinheiro da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Denise Frediani Barbeiro ; Hermes Vieira Barbeiro ; Nadja Cristhina de Souza Pinto ; Thais Martins de Lima Salgado

Abstract

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are extremely well conserved molecules from the evolutionary point of view, but their mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Beyond their direct microbicide activity, various effects on the immune response, in different pathological conditions, have been described. Our group has demonstrated, however, that depending on the underlying disease and the cellular context, antimicrobial peptides are able to elicit completely opposite responses. In order to understand better this fact, we intend to induce complex diseases that are common in the intensive care environment, in wild-type and CRAMP knockout mice, to investigate the effects of AMPs in inflammation, mitochondrial metabolism and in mechanisms of DNA damage and repair. The biological material collected from such models will be used in Immunology and Molecular Biology assays. We believe that we will thereby unveil new molecular mechanisms of the diseases investigated and reach a significant progress in the comprehension of the role of Antimicrobial Peptides in complex diseases. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CERMARIA SOARES DA SILVA, BEATRIZ HELENA; ARIGA, SUELY KUBO; BARBEIRO, HERMES VIEIRA; VOLPINI, RILDO APARECIDO; BARBEIRO, DENISE FREDIANI; SEGURO, ANTONIO CARLOS; DA SILVA, FABIANO PINHEIRO. Cathelicidin protects mice from Rhabdomyolysis-induced Acute Kidney Injury. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, v. 18, n. 4, p. 883-890, 2021. (18/06124-7)