@article{FirdessaGoodAmstaldenetal.2015, author = {Firdessa, Rebuma and Good, Liam and Amstalden, Maria Cecilia and Chindera, Kantaraja and Kamaruzzaman, Nor Fadhilah and Schultheis, Martina and R{\"o}ger, Bianca and Hecht, Nina and Oelschlaeger, Tobias A. and Meinel, Lorenz and L{\"u}hmann, Tessa and Moll, Heidrun}, title = {Pathogen- and host-directed antileishmanial effects mediated by polyhexanide (PHMB)}, series = {PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases}, volume = {9}, journal = {PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases}, number = {10}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0004041}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148162}, pages = {e0004041}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Background Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. CL causes enormous suffering in many countries worldwide. There is no licensed vaccine against CL, and the chemotherapy options show limited efficacy and high toxicity. Localization of the parasites inside host cells is a barrier to most standard chemo- and immune-based interventions. Hence, novel drugs, which are safe, effective and readily accessible to third-world countries and/or drug delivery technologies for effective CL treatments are desperately needed. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we evaluated the antileishmanial properties and delivery potential of polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB; polyhexanide), a widely used antimicrobial and wound antiseptic, in the Leishmania model. PHMB showed an inherent antileishmanial activity at submicromolar concentrations. Our data revealed that PHMB kills Leishmania major (L. major) via a dual mechanism involving disruption of membrane integrity and selective chromosome condensation and damage. PHMB's DNA binding and host cell entry properties were further exploited to improve the delivery and immunomodulatory activities of unmethylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODN). PHMB spontaneously bound CpG ODN, forming stable nanopolyplexes that enhanced uptake of CpG ODN, potentiated antimicrobial killing and reduced host cell toxicity of PHMB. Conclusions Given its low cost and long history of safe topical use, PHMB holds promise as a drug for CL therapy and delivery vehicle for nucleic acid immunomodulators.}, language = {en} } @article{JakobEbertRudertetal.2012, author = {Jakob, Franz and Ebert, Regina and Rudert, Maximilian and N{\"o}th, Ulrich and Walles, Heike and Docheva, Denitsa and Schieker, Matthias and Meinel, Lorenz and Groll, J{\"u}rgen}, title = {In situ guided tissue regeneration in musculoskeletal diseases and aging}, series = {Cell and Tissue Research}, volume = {347}, journal = {Cell and Tissue Research}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1007/s00441-011-1237-z}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-124738}, pages = {725-735}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In situ guided tissue regeneration, also addressed as in situ tissue engineering or endogenous regeneration, has a great potential for population-wide "minimal invasive" applications. During the last two decades, tissue engineering has been developed with remarkable in vitro and preclinical success but still the number of applications in clinical routine is extremely small. Moreover, the vision of population-wide applications of ex vivo tissue engineered constructs based on cells, growth and differentiation factors and scaffolds, must probably be deemed unrealistic for economic and regulation-related issues. Hence, the progress made in this respect will be mostly applicable to a fraction of post-traumatic or post-surgery situations such as big tissue defects due to tumor manifestation. Minimally invasive procedures would probably qualify for a broader application and ideally would only require off the shelf standardized products without cells. Such products should mimic the microenvironment of regenerating tissues and make use of the endogenous tissue regeneration capacities. Functionally, the chemotaxis of regenerative cells, their amplification as a transient amplifying pool and their concerted differentiation and remodeling should be addressed. This is especially important because the main target populations for such applications are the elderly and diseased. The quality of regenerative cells is impaired in such organisms and high levels of inhibitors also interfere with regeneration and healing. In metabolic bone diseases like osteoporosis, it is already known that antagonists for inhibitors such as activin and sclerostin enhance bone formation. Implementing such strategies into applications for in situ guided tissue regeneration should greatly enhance the efficacy of tailored procedures in the future.}, language = {en} }