Antibiofilm Peptides: Relevant Preclinical Animal Infection Models and Translational Potential.

Biofilm-forming bacteria may be 10-1000 times more resistant to antibiotics than planktonic bacteria and represent about 75% of bacterial infections in humans. Antibiofilm treatments are scarce, and no effective therapies have been reported so far. In this context, antibiofilm peptides (ABPs) represent an exciting class of agents with potent activity against biofilms both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, murine models of bacterial biofilm infections have been used to evaluate the in vivo effectiveness of ABPs. Therefore, here we highlight the translational potential of ABPs and provide an overview of the different clinically relevant murine models to assess ABP efficacy, including wound, foreign body, chronic lung, and oral models of infection. We discuss key challenges to translate ABPs to the clinic and the pros and cons of the existing murine biofilm models for reliable assessment of the efficacy of ABPs.

Limited Effects of Low-to-Moderate Aerobic Exercise on the Gut Microbiota of Mice Subjected to a High-Fat Diet.

Several studies have indicated that diet and exercise may modulate the gut microbiota in obese subjects. Both interventions were shown to alter the microbiota orthogonally. However, this relationship has not been fully explored. This study analyzed the effects of low-to-moderate aerobic training on the fecal microbiota of mice subjected to a high-fat diet (HFD). Here, 40 male mice (C57Bl/6) were divided into two groups with standard diet (SD; 12.4% lipid) and HFD (60.3% lipid) for four months. These groups were divided into four, named SD control, HF control, SD trained and HF trained. All animals were submitted to an incremental test to estimate low-to-moderate maximum speed. Training consisted of 30 min·day-1, 5 days/week, for 8 weeks. The HFD increased the body weight (p < 0.0001) and adiposity index (p < 0.05). HFD also negatively influenced performance in exercise training. Moreover, the diversity of gut microbiota was reduced by the HFD in all groups. A low-to-moderate exercise was ineffective in modulating the gut microbiota composition in mice subjected to HFD. These findings suggest that two months of low-to-moderate exercise does not achieve a preponderant modulatory effect on shaping microbiota when submitted to the high-fat diet.

Neuropeptide receptors as potential pharmacological targets for obesity.

Obesity is a chronic multifactorial disease, characterized by an excessive accumulation of adipose tissue. It is usually the result of excessive food intake and/or low energy expenditure. Obesity can be triggered by lifestyle, nutritional, genetic, environmental, hormonal and psychological factors. Several strategies are used to treat obesity, including dietary reeducation, with balanced food intake, increased physical exercise, in order to promote energy expenditure and to overcome the insufficiency in weight reduction by other strategies, and administration of drugs. However, these medications are associated to undesirable side effects, resulting in a high withdrawal rate. Several studies have been focused on the development of compounds that act in the hypothalamic region where the center of the regulation of hunger and satiety is located. Some of them target the activity of endogenous peptides, such as ghrelin pancreatic polypeptide, peptide YY and neuropeptide Y, as well as their receptors. This review addresses the importance of understanding the neuropeptide/peptide hormones and their receptors for the development of novel anti-obesity compounds that may aid in weight reduction as a promising alternative for the treatment of obesity.