Characterization of nonionic cubosomes in the presence of model proteins: a structural approach

• Grant number: 19/19426-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2019
• End date: July 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Leandro Ramos Souza Barbosa
• Grantee: Amanda Santos Palma
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física (IF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

One area of research that has gained much attention in recent years is nanomedicine, with particular attention to drug delivery systems. Among the various nanoparticles used for this purpose, we highlight the systems formed by lipids and polymers, such as liposomes and cubosomes. In this project we will study the structural influence of a model preotein: lysozyme in cubosomes.Lysozyme is an animal-produced antimicrobial enzyme that is part of the immune system. Lysozyme is a glycosidic hydrolase that catalyzes the hydrolysis of 1,4-beta bonds between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in peptidoglycan, which is the major component of the gram-positive bacterial cell wall. This hydrolysis, in turn, compromises the integrity of the bacterial cell walls, causing the lysis (and consequently the death) of the bacteria. The main objective of this research project is to build nanostructured systems capable of acting as antimicrobial systems. These systems will be composed of cubosomes in the absence and presence of the enzyme and will be analyzed using several biophysical techniques such as: small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS), potential zeta besides essays in vivo.