Affiliation:
1. Jamia Millia Islamia University, Department of Biotechnology, India
Abstract
Background:
The transformation of proteins from their native conformation into highly
ordered fibrillar structures due to their misfolding and aggregation under particular conditions are
described as beta-sheet enriched amyloid fibrils. The accumulation of these fibrils in different
body parts is the major cause of several neurological and non-neurological conditions (proteinopathies).
Objectives:
To prevent these proteinopathies, inhibition of protein aggregation is considered a
promising strategy. Therefore, in this study, we synthesized montmorillonite (MMT) based poly-
orthophenylenediamine (PoPD) nanocomposites (NCs) and characterized their size and morphology
due to their remarkable biological properties. Further, the effect of these nanocomposites
on inhibition of fibril formation was assessed. Methods: These nanocomposites were evaluated for
their anti-amyloidogenic potential on two model proteins of amyloidopathies, i.e., human lysozyme
and human serum albumin (HL & HSA), by using several biophysical methods, such as
Thioflavin T (ThT) and 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) fluorescence, congo red dye
binding assay (CR). Secondary structural content was evaluated by Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy.
Results:
Results demonstrated that synthesized nanocomposites significantly inhibited fibril formation
in dose-dependent manner that corresponds to their ability to arrest fibrillation. It is suggested
that they may adsorb proteins to protect them against aggregation when they are subjected to aggregating
conditions.
Conclusion:
This study offers an opportunity to understand the mechanism of inhibition of fibril
formation by nanocomposites, showing that they inhibit amyloid formation and amyloid diseases.
Thus, the study concludes that these nanocomposites are promising candidates as therapeutic
molecules for proteinopathies and are envisaged to enrich the area of personalized medicine, augmenting
the human healthcare system.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Biochemistry,General Medicine,Structural Biology