Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 31, 2026
10:12
Construction of Cyclic Cell-Penetrating Peptides for Enhanced Penetration of Biological Barriers
Published on: September 19, 2022
2.8K
Novel BUF2-magnetite nanobioconjugates with cell-penetrating abilities
Monica Cuellar1, Javier Cifuentes1, Jessica Perez1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia, jc.cruz@uniandes.edu.co; c.munoz2016@uniandes.edu.co.
International Journal of Nanomedicine
|December 21, 2018
Summary
Buforin II-magnetite conjugates enhance cell penetration for drug delivery. However, the native antimicrobial activity was lost, suggesting a flexible linker may be needed for combined therapies.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Pharmacology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Developing controlled and localized therapeutic molecule delivery systems is a key challenge in pharmacology.
- Nanostructured supports offer high molecule-carrying capacity but struggle with cell membrane penetration.
- Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) conjugated to nanocarriers can enhance cellular uptake.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conjugate the antimicrobial cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) buforin II (BUF2) to magnetite nanoparticles.
- To enhance the cell penetration capabilities of BUF2 for potential drug delivery applications.
- To investigate the intracellular inclusion of BUF2-magnetite conjugates in mammalian cells.
Main Methods:
- Conjugation of buforin II (BUF2) to magnetite nanoparticles.
- Characterization of conjugates using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and thermogravimetric analysis.
- In vitro delivery studies in bacterial and mammalian (THP-1) cells.
Main Results:
- Successful conjugation of BUF2 to magnetite nanoparticles was confirmed.
- Conjugates demonstrated biocompatibility and achieved intracellular inclusion in THP-1 cells.
- The native antimicrobial activity of BUF2 was diminished in the conjugates.
Conclusions:
- BUF2-magnetite conjugates show potential as cell-penetrating vehicles for targeted drug delivery.
- The loss of antimicrobial activity suggests the need for modifications, such as flexible linkers.
- This approach supports the development of combined drug delivery and antimicrobial peptide therapies.
Related Concept Videos
02:59Biological Effects of Radiation
17.9K
All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they...
17.9K
01:07What are Cells?
199.3K
Cells are the smallest and basic units of life, whether it is a single cell that forms the entire organism, e.g., in a bacterium or trillions of them, e.g., in humans. No matter what organism a cell is a part of, they share specific characteristics.
Basic Characteristics of Cells
A living cell has a plasma membrane, a bilayer of lipids that separates the aqueous solution inside the cell called the cytoplasm from the outside environment.
Furthermore, a living cell possesses genetic information...
Basic Characteristics of Cells
A living cell has a plasma membrane, a bilayer of lipids that separates the aqueous solution inside the cell called the cytoplasm from the outside environment.
Furthermore, a living cell possesses genetic information...
199.3K
02:03What is Cell Signaling?
130.4K
Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate to respond to the environment.
130.4K
02:41Concentration Cells
25.9K
A concentration cell is a type of a voltaic cell constructed by connecting two almost identical half-cells, both based on the same half-reaction and using the same electrode, differing only in the concentration of one redox species. A concentration cell's potential, therefore, is determined only by the concentration difference of the particular redox species.
Consider the following voltaic cell:
Consider the following voltaic cell:
25.9K
02:58Chemistry of the Cell
48.0K
The cell is chemically composed of water, organic molecules and inorganic ions.
Water
The polarity of the water molecule and its resulting hydrogen bonding makes water a unique substance with special properties that are intimately tied to the processes of life. Life originally evolved in an aqueous environment, and most of an organism’s cellular chemistry and metabolism occur inside the aqueous contents of the cell’s cytoplasm. Special properties of water are its high heat capacity...
Water
The polarity of the water molecule and its resulting hydrogen bonding makes water a unique substance with special properties that are intimately tied to the processes of life. Life originally evolved in an aqueous environment, and most of an organism’s cellular chemistry and metabolism occur inside the aqueous contents of the cell’s cytoplasm. Special properties of water are its high heat capacity...
48.0K
01:22Hair Cells
44.9K
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
44.9K